Sand in an Hourglass
by Shadows4Twilight
Summary: Convicted of a crime she didn't commit, she has to flee her village. Years later, she is visited by a friend she thought had abandoned her. Her resentment resurfaces. She'll share his fate. Forced into the Akatsuki Eventual Itachi X OC
1. Chapter 1 Beginnings

So, I decided to try my hand at a Naruto fic. This will eventually be an ItachiXOC. I know he's kinda over done, but this'll be my first fic for Naruto. He won't show up for a bit, so please be patient. Also, I started this because I've got a writers block on Fearless. So, I don't mean to sound selfish, but would you please leave me a review? Since this one is kind of helping me through my writers block, I probably won't update unless I know that someone appreciates it enough to take time to comment. Please enjoy the story though. ^.^

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters within the manga/anime.

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**Sand in an Hourglass**

**Chapter 1 – Beginnings**

Soft lavender colored hair falls into the tired looking face of a young girl. Her shaking hands clasp onto equally shaking legs. She's had to have done this jutsu to many times to count. Her breaths come in short ragged pants. Teal colored eyes close as the young girl mentally berates herself for not picking up the seemingly easy jutsu.

Laughter makes her eyes snap open and flash up to her sparring partner. The young blond boy is holding his stomach, and he is bent forward just enough that he looks like he is in pain. The blond shaggy hair on his head falls down to cover his eyes. She vaguely remembers him mentioning something about growing it out. He had a good reason, but it was lost within her memory. His skinny, but broad shoulders shake with his laughter. The loose, black training shirt that he always wears shows no signs of the training the two young Rock Shinobi had been doing for the last hour or so. Even his calf-lengthed, black pants had barely any dust on them. He was devoid of his headband.

Her clothes, on the other hand, are a completely different story. Like him, she wears a loose training shirt, but it is blue in color. The only difference in the design of their shirts is that hers has a slight v-neck line that shows just a little more skin than his. She sports black shorts that stop just above her knee. She, too, had left her headband at home. Both pieces of clothing are covered in mud and sweat from their little sparring session. She had been trying to prefect a jutsu taught to her by her older brother, and he had offered to help her. Her teal eyes narrow at him, though he doesn't seemed to have noticed.

"Oh, would you be quiet, Deidara! I don't have to beat you to know you'll always be a spoiled brat," she snaps with a playful grin.

"At least I'm not the one who ends up on my butt every time we practice a jutsu, hmm," Deidara replies now that his laughter had stopped due to it almost stealing his breath.

She scoffs and looks at the kunai she had dropped sometime during the session. "It'd only hurt your pride if a woman beat you, so I have to take it easy."

He rolls both of his bright blue eyes and walks to her side only to sit down roughly. His eyes search his palms as if the mouths they contain will answer some unasked question he has on his mind at that moment; he sighs after an uneventful minute and balls them into fists. His gaze is cast skyward, and he feels his heart grow heavy at the sight that meets his eyes. A soft pink color was creeping along the darkened sky. It was almost time for the two to go their separate ways for the day.

His blue gaze finds one of the few people he would actually consider a friend in the village. Upon feeling his gaze, the lavender-haired girl shifts her weight to get a better look at him. Her arms are tucked beneath her thighs; it's almost as if she wants to pull her legs to her chest. To him, it makes her looks slightly vulnerable. When she had actually sat down, he wasn't quite sure, since it had escaped his attention completely.

"Hey, Ishiko," Deidara says almost thoughtfully.

"Hmm?" was the unenthusiastic answer he receives. It doesn't seem to faze him though.

"What's your team like, yeah?" he asks with a thoughtful look in his eyes. For as long as he could remember, Ishiko had been his friend. The girl really wasn't ninja material in the fact that she tried to avoid any and all violence. She cared more about her friends and family than what she called 'a silly little mission'. In every other aspect, she was fantastic. Her chakra control seemed like it would become unrivaled in the village when she was fully grown, and she usually pick up jutsus fast. Still, he felt an unexplainable need to protect her. He just assumed that it was because bullies were drawn to her. The reason for this was most likely her quiet nature. She was also small for her size and looked like if he squeezed her too hard every bone in her body would shatter to a million, microscopic pieces.

"Hmm, they're…..nice," Ishiko finishes lamely, looking at the rising sun. The fact of the matter was both the boys on her team were obnoxious. They fought not only with each other, but the loudest one also fought with their sensei. Her sensei was nice, but he followed the rules down to the letter. The only exception was he would occasionally be late. As a team, they had only gone on a few missions, but it turned out that she did all the work while the boys bickered.

"Liar," Deidara scoffs, stretching back and resting his hands behind his head. He didn't like the two boys on her team. To him, they were useless, bickering idiots. He could barely spend any time with Ishiko, because the two boys on her team had some rivalry with one of the boys on his own team. In the early morning hours, Ishiko and himself would sneak of their houses out to train with one another. This seemed to be the only time they could truly hang out.

"They just argue a lot. They hardly ever involve me in the arguments." This seems to have some truth, because he really doesn't see her actually trying to calm the two morons. "Well, I have to go. See ya later Dei-kun!"

His head raises just enough to watch her jog away. His head lowers when she is out of sight, and he watches a pink sky start to change to a calming blue. He knows his own team will be meeting soon, but his thoughts wonder to his friend. From there, his thoughts turn to a more depressing matter.

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The silver haired boy glares at Ishiko. He's at least two years older than her own 9 years of age, and he carries the attitude to show it. His black eyes radiate the mistrust and hate he holds for the younger girl. It's obvious to anyone looking straight at him that raw power is his strength.

The silver hair is grown out to the bottom of his ears, with a greasy-looking texture to it. His eyes are strangely close together, and he squints in an attempt to look threatening. His nose is far too large for his face, and on the contrary his mouth is too small; his voice can be booming, though. He has very broad shoulders, but his body continues to narrow the closer to the ground it gets. Since he is older than Ishiko, he's at least five inches taller and uses this to intimidate her.

The other boy is like a polar opposite of his teammate. He has short, spiky dark brown hair. It almost looked like melted dark chocolate. His eyes hold a warm mud-colored gaze. He, too, is a two years older than Ishiko. Because of this, he is a couple inches taller. Unlike her other obnoxious teammate, his facial features are set almost to perfection. Everything from his normal sized nose to his perfect mouth was almost like a dream come true. Ishiko's cheeks dust with pink at the thoughts running through her mind. Hey, even though she is young, she is still a girl and had every right to day-dream, right?

"You and Sensei are always the late ones. What do you two do? Oh, wait, you scr-" the gruff coarse voice of the silver-haired boy starts before another smoother voice interrupts.

"Don't you dare say anything else, baka," her dark-haired teammate almost snaps. His quick temper was the cause of his obnoxiousness and was the only thing unattractive about him.

"Don't call me a moron or tell me what to do, Kaemon, you asshole!" growls the silver-haired boy. Kaemon gives the other boy an aggravated look from his position, which is currently reclining against one of the various rock formations at the gates of the Rock Village.

"Watch your mouth. There is a girl present, Taro," Kaemon states finishing it off with a cold glare.

Taro looks from side to side in a mock attempt to find Ishiko. "Oh really? I don't see one." His eyes finally land on Ishiko. "All I see is worthless scum. Hell, her family is so good at spying. I'm willing to bet my next paycheck on saying they are backstabbers. How do we even know that they aren't selling our information to our enemies?"

Ishiko feels rage claw at her stomach and heart. Kaemon's mud-colored gaze falls onto Ishiko's white knuckled hands with a look of disinterest. He's never seen her so angry before, and this causes his interest to perk up. It makes him sit up straighter, too. The slimy feel of Taro's gloating grin pores off of him in what seems like colossal waves. Kaemon silently urges Ishiko to land a punch right on Taro's malformed nose. He was sick of sticking up for her.

"I see you three are getting along just fine….once again," a deep voice drones. It seems to command their undivided attention. The three turn their heads toward the source of the noise. A man with black hair, riddled with grey, is walking toward them with a deep set frown on his face. His grey eyes are barely visible past his half closed eyelids. Though he is at least in his thirties, he has no facial hair to speak of. In Ishiko's private opinion, he's a short for a guy. His headband is wrapped around the thigh of his right leg. Other than that, his appearance is that of an average shinobi.

His large hand comes up to run its' fingers through his hair. He could tell this would be a long day. Not only was Kaemon and Taro fighting, even Ishiko was rallied up to fight. His eyelids slide closed; what had he ever done to deserve this? The other genin squads didn't seem to have so many heated arguments in public. It just had to his team; after all he just made Jounin.

The sound of flesh hitting flesh and a deep, yet loud, curse of pain makes his body tense in aggravation.

"Whore! Why the hell did you hit me?!" Anyone could guess who that was.

"You no good, beaten, piece of trash! Take back what you said about my family!" That had to have been Ishiko. This shocked the older man. He hadn't ever heard her yell in the two months they had been on a squad. The piece about her family makes him understand what is going on. She had her family's pride to back up. Her whole family is model shinobi for the village.

"Sora-sensei," a smooth young voice breaks the man's thoughts. His grey eyes lazily open and focus on the genin talking to him. Kaemon shakes his head and vaguely gestures toward his physically fighting teammates. The questioning words he says next is the thought that is on everyone's mind.

"This is going to be a long day, isn't it?"


	2. Chapter 2 Confrontations

I noticed that someone put this story on alert. Thank you. I decided that I should update. To clear this up, this chapter is a couple years after the first one. The first one was kind of a set to show how she knew Deidara. I think the next chapter will be the last one where she is younger. After that the Akatsuki should come into play ^.^. Anyway, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, the places associated, or the characters.

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**Sand in an Hourglass**

**Chapter 2 – Confrontation**

Multiple fires burn unchecked and rapidly. They begin to eat, not only important documents and the wooden parts of various buildings,but also human flesh. Cries of pain and terror fill the night sky. To the working shinobi, it seems that once they put one fire another springs up when a loud thunderous noise rocks their precious village to its' roots. Many people curse the name that they are assuming is responsible for the noise and fire.

Finally, some unknown deity seems to take pity on them. The thick sheets of rain are a cheered welcome. It starves the raging fires of food, and eventually tames them down enough that the shinobi have no problem putting them out.

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Ishiko hears feet pounding down the hallway. Lightening lights her room and thunder roars. Her door is slammed open, and a short black mass launches itself onto her bed and scurries beneath her blankets. Her eyes wander from her window to the shaking lump of blankets beside her. It had been no surprise to her when her younger brother scampered into her room. Usually, he would have run to their older brother's room, but Ishiko had heard her brother leaving a couple hours ago.

"You're not living up to your name, Katsuo. You can't hide every time we get a thunderstorm," Ishiko softly lectures. A teal colored gaze, almost a mirror image of her own, peeks out of the darkness caused by the blankets at her. Fear coats every inch of the beautiful color. His black hair blends in with the blanket's shadow. His pajama covered legs flinch against her own legs as another clap of thunder roars.

"Big brother is out, though. Father got called away to help with the fires. Mother is missing, too," Katsuo whispers. Ishiko frowns, as the news sets in. Now that she thought about it, why wasn't she called to help? Where did her mother go? Their mother wasn't a shinobi, so they wouldn't call for her. She was use to her brother sneaking out, so she hadn't thought twice about it.

A loud boom reaches her ears, and she knows that this noise wasn't caused by thunder or the strangely familiar noises.

"Ishiko! I know you're here! Come out now!" Her thoughts race through her mind not making any sense to her. She knew those voices because of her older brother's position. What did the ANBU want with her? The sound of them moving toward the bedrooms spurs her into action.

She leaps out of her bed, runs to her still open door and peers out into the dark hallway. She counts three dark masses standing in her family's living room. That didn't mean there was only three, though. Slowly, she walks out into the dark hallway and moves down till she is standing in the doorway that connects the bedroom hallway to the living room. Lightening flashes momentarily lighting up each of the masks adorned by the ANBU. Each ANBU is focused solely on her, but the small shadowed figure of her younger brother doesn't go unnoticed.

"Ishiko, tell us where Deidara has gone," demands one of the ANBU. The darkness makes it impossible to tell which one it was that spoke. Her teal eyes jump from one ANBU's form to another. Confusion sets into her mind. What did Deidara have to do with the ANBU showing up in the middle of the night?

"Huh?" Mentally, Ishiko curses herself for sound so dumb. Before she has a chance to redeem herself, one of the ANBUs drops a shocking bombshell.

"Ishiko, you are hereby under arrest." Fear fills Ishiko, and a squeak of surprise leaves the figure behind her. Two small hands ball up in the black tank top Ishiko had worn to bed. She doesn't feel anything. Shock came first, than numbness took over.

"I-I d-don't understand," Ishiko stutters out in a whisper. "Why am I-"

"You're guilty by association," a familiar strict voice says, drawing the two young sibling's attention. A tall imposing figure steps out from the darkest shadows into some firelight flittering through one of the windows. Raven colored hair cascades down to brush his shoulders. His eyes seem to hold a light all their own with the vivid green color. His creamy skin is a little on the paler side, but contrasts perfectly with the dark colors he is usually seen wearing.

"Father," Katsuo breathes. "What's going on?"

Everyone in the room ignores the younger boy. He doesn't complain like he normally would. Even he can feel the tension that is twisting through the air in the room. Ishiko couldn't wrap her head around what she was being arrested for, and the ANBU didn't seem inclined to give her more information on the matter. The only opinion she could see was to try to worm it out of her strict, stubborn father. She doesn't have to wait long for him to start talking.

"You're a shame to this family." Ishiko visibly flinches at the harsh words and can't stop a defiant glare from appearing on her young features. "We aren't usually trusted because of our ability to spy. We have managed to uphold a good name…until now that is. Your brother saw to that."

"What?" Ishiko feels even more confused at this statement. Hadn't the ANBU said something about Deidara? What did Daichi have to do with anything? Her father's eyes narrow in suspicion.

"He stole the most vital piece of information that the Rock Village owns," he says in a cold voice. Ishiko starts to shake as possibilities of what might happen to her brother runs through her mind. "He used Deidara's vicious attack on the village as a distraction and killed the ANBU guarding the scroll."

Ishiko's eyes narrow further. There was the mention of Deidara, but now it was obvious what was going on. Deidara wouldn't attack the village. He was on his way to making Jounin. Both of them would be fifteen in a month or two. It just didn't make any sense to her.

"Deidara wouldn't…" Ishiko trails off when the ANBU in the middle makes a hand motion. The ANBU on either side of him seem to disappear before her eyes. Ishiko doesn't have time to react when one of the ANBU jerks Katsuo away and the other kicks the back of her knees making them buckle. The moment her knees collide with the hard wooden floor, her wrists are snatched. Her arms are raised behind her back. The muscles in her shoulders protest at the unnatural way they are being strained. Ishiko lets out a pained grunt and leans forward in an attempt to take some pressure off of the muscles. This is ineffective since the ANBU moves his grip to accommodate her movement. Her eyes flick up when she hears movement.

"The charge against you is the association and help to both crimes," Ishiko's father states in the same cold tone. Ishiko's eyes close and her head tilts toward the floor in frustration. Her lavender colored hair falls into her face.

"I don't understand! What crimes could I have helped commit when I've been home the whole time?!" It seems like everyone in the room is holding their breath. All eyes are focused on Ishiko.

"Deidara's crime is of physically attacking and abandoning our village. You must have known about it or at the very least seen some sign of it," starts the ANBU next to her father; the same one that had given the signal to the others. Her teal eyes open up, and her soft lavender hair tickles her cheek when she lifts her head to stare at the ANBU in horror.

"And Daichi's crime is of stealing forbidden information, which he must have talked to you about. No one could have come up with such a flawless plan on their own," finishes the ANBU holding her arms. His grip tights for a moment, and Ishiko realizes she can't feel her hands anymore. She assumes it's from the awkward positions her arms are currently in. Inwardly, she groans at the thought of them tingling once they got proper circulation.

A yell from Katsuo draws the attention of the adults in the room. He had slipped out of the ANBU's grip and ran across the room. He was currently attempting to free his older sister by punching the back of the ANBU holding her.

"Let her go! She's been here with me! She hasn't done nothing to no one! You're hurting her!" The ANBU that had been holding Katsuo comes to the aide of his comrade. He lifts the young boy up, which causes Katsuo to kick and scream in frustration.

"Katsuo!" a sharp voice snaps, drawing the young boy's attention and makes him fall silent. "Go to your room."

Ishiko doesn't have to see her brother to know that he is about to protest. To save him from punishment, she quickly intervenes.

"Aw, Katsou, do as your told. I'll be there to protect you from whatever scares you after I clear up my name."

Katsou's teal-colored gaze rests on his sister's shadowy, hunched form. "Promise?"

Ishiko tense for a moment, but instantly regrets it when pain washes over her wrists and arms. The stupid ANBU must have thought she was planning to try something. Forcing her muscles to relax, she lets her mind wonder over the possibilities. Would she really be able to fulfill her promise? It didn't seem like she had to long to live.

Lightening lights the room once more. Katsou is gifted one more look at his sister's pained face before darkness engulfs the room once more.

"I promise for as long as I live, baby brother. Now, please go to your room and don't come out no matter what you hear," Ishiko whispers. Thunder rumbles like some large, angry beast. Katsou flinches and hurries to his room. Defiant teal eyes lift to glare at her father's silhouette.

"I have no idea what came over them. I do know that I have no part in it," she hisses past clenched teeth. The sound of glass breaking mixes with another rumble of thunder. A hot, sticky liquid runs down her arms. A solid thump and sudden feeling in her arms starts off what she would later claim was the worst night of her young life.


	3. Chapter 3 The Great Escape

Sorry for the long wait. . Haha, lame I know. I hope this chapter was worth waiting for. I got a writers block on it and wasn't sure how to actually start it. I also wasn't sure how to end it. The next part will be placed after Deidara has joined the Akatsuki, so it'll be a couple years. The plot should actually start to move along soon. Comments are always nice. And a big thanks to those of you who favored/watch this story! :) I appreciate it! :) Comments are nice too lol. Enjoy!

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**Chapter 3: The Great Escape**

It all happens too quickly for her to think coherently over the situation. Her life was changed in a single night.

"Get up! Ishiko, move!"

Teal eyes widen, and her hands start to shake as she goes into auto polit. Her shinobi training kicks in, and she fumbles around for some type of weapon. The sound of clanking metal rings loudly in her ears. Finally, her hands find a discarded kunai. The warm liquid on her arms is slowly cooling, and she barely represses a shutter as she thinks about what it could possibly be. The battle being waged around her is the last thing on her shocked mind.

"Run! Ishiko, get out of here!" A loud noise rocks the house that sure didn't sound like thunder to her. Numbly, Ishiko stumbles to the door and throws it open. The cool wet night air assaults the exposed skin on her arms and legs. Without a second thought, she rushes out into the rain at a dead run.

The cold rain roughly drags her shocked brain back to the present. Daichi's voice echoes in her mind, and she looks back toward her house in horror. He had killed that ANBU that was arresting her. The gods only knew who else he had killed after she'd left! On top of that, he'd stolen valuable village information! Now, she would look like an associate for running! What had she been thinking at that moment?

Oh, right. She hadn't had a single thought. She just followed the orders of a familiar voice like a good shinobi would. Why couldn't she ever seem to think for herself? Her dead run slows to a walk. A rapid bolt of lightning lights up the sky, and the area surrounding Ishiko. Gaping holes and burn marks scorch various parts of buildings. This was Deidara's doing. She was sure of it.

A large cold hand jerks her into the shadows. Her left arm swings up to grab the wrist of the offender. Out of instinct, she slashes out at the hand. Luckily for the hand, its owner had quick reflexes, and it narrowly missed losing a finger or two. Unlucky for Ishiko, her aim was wild, and she cut a long deep cut on her left forearm. A gasp and a curse later, she hears a deep chuckle that she can easily recognize anywhere.

"You always have been such a klutz, hmmm. You'd think you'd be better since you're supposed to be a Rock Shinobi," Ishiko's teal eyes narrow in anger. This whole mess was all his fault! If he had just kept quiet, none of this would have happened. She would be in her nice warm bed, not in the freezing rain covered in some ANBU's blood. She wouldn't have a deep gash on her arm. The most she would have to worry about would be comforting Katsuo due to his irrational fear of thunder.

"You!" she hisses between clenched teeth. Deidara takes a wary step back in shock at her sudden anger toward him. Ishiko's small blood covered finger pokes him threateningly in the chest as she takes an equally threatening step toward him. "You just had to take me down with you, didn't you? Why can't you just do what you are told? Why must you be so different from everyone else? Look at what you did to our village! What the hell is going through that puny thing you call a brain?"

All Deidara could do is blink. What had set her off? He was going to go to her house to say goodbye and talk to her brother to see if he got what he needed. Instead, he spotted her out in the rain. All he wanted to do was talk, but she started to yell at him over something he had no idea about. His own anger starts to rise. He pushes her hand away, his only visible blue eye narrows at his childhood friend. She had no right whatsoever to yell at him like that. To blame him for something he didn't do. He takes another step away.

"I just wanted to tell you I was leaving," he whispers. Ishiko barely catches the words over the pouring rain. A flash of lightning gives Ishiko the chance to see her friend's young serious face. The chance is gone in a moment. Her fists tighten, and a rush of pain washes up her left forearm. Her hand covers the wound, and she hisses in pain. The adrenaline pumping in her system had prevented her from feeling the wound earlier. Unfortunately, the adrenaline rush was starting to wear off. She barely holds back her tears. A large warm hand covers hers for a moment. It pulls her hand away and lifts her arm up for inspection. The sound of ripping material soon reaches her ears.

"This should hold till Daichi finds you. He'll know where to go to get you proper medical attention," Deidara says, tying a strip of cloth around the cut. He leans toward her and brushes wet strands of hair out of her face. "Ishiko, we'll meet again. Just be safe."

Voices make her look behind her. Lightning lights the world up again. Thunder rumbles, and the voices get closer to her. When she turns back, her friend's silhouette is gone. She suddenly feels alone in the world. She stands there letting the cold rain run over her skin. She was so confused on what to do. The village wouldn't believe that she had panicked because of the battle raging in her house. She'd be treated as a rouge ninja.

Her teal eyes drift in the direction of her house. Her heart sinks as she realizes she had spent the last moments in her house with blood on her. She closes her eyes and swallows hard. The voices ring loudly within feet of her. She knew the voices easy. It was the old man who ran the grocery store on the corner near her house. It sounded like his wife and youngest son was with him. She turns to face them. None had shinobi training. She could escape easily. Lightning grants her one last sight of the old couple.

"Ishiko, why have you done this?" The old man calls over the water. She doesn't reply. She gathers chakra to enhance her abilities. She releases it at the last moment to spring quickly onto a nearby windowsill, which she uses to propel her next jump onto the roof of the building. She about loses her footing, because it is so wet. She does regain her balance. She leaves them with a hauntingly sad filled voice.

"Forgive me."

It only takes her moments to get out of the village. Most of the attention was on getting wounded shinobi and civilians out of the buildings Deidara had destroyed. Ishiko had no problem slipping out of the village. She pauses just outside to look back on the only place she'd ever known. A voice startles her and makes her grip the only weapon she has at that moment.

"I never meant to get you involved, baby sister." Daichi is watching her sadly, though she can't see his face. "Deidara-kun didn't mean to either. We never knew they'd come after you. I…. I brought you this."

A piece of cloth and cold metal touch her hand. She has to think for a moment about what to do with the kunai. Her left arm was dangling uselessly at her side. It had lost feeling and had already soaked the temporary cloth Deidara had wrapped around it. Lightning flashes again with good timing. It reflects off of a headband. She places the handle of the kunai between her teeth and grabs her headband. She didn't know why she wanted the silly thing so bad. It wasn't like she had a home to return to.

It was dawning on her. Katsuo, her mother, her friends, her team. She wouldn't ever get to see them again. If she did happen to meet up with them, they would be her enemy. Her knees grow weak, and she sinks to the ground gripping the headband to her chest as she sobs softly. The kunai clatter to the ground. Her tears mix with the water on her face. She was a rogue now. She didn't have a home and was doomed to be hunted for the rest of her natural life upon this land.

A hand pets her hair, and she takes a small amount of comfort in it. It didn't help her hollow feeling though. And the next words she heard from her older brother only made this whole situation worse.

"You weren't supposed to be here. Ishiko, I don't have a plan for you, and you aren't coming with me. You'll have to leave soon. ANBU will be searching for us."

With that spoken, his hand is gone. The last bit of comfort she had in the world had just left her. She was alone. No home, no family, and no allies.

Maybe if she had thought a little, she wouldn't be in this mess.

Maybe she could have prevented all this.

Maybe she would be warm now, not stuck in the rain in her pajamas.

She stands up slowly and takes the first few reluctant steps of her new life. She had no destination in mind. She figured she would just walk till she got tired.

What a life, huh?

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So, it might be a bit slow and short, but it's an update right? Lol. Thank you for reading!


	4. Chapter 4 Business Deals and Stalkers

K. Here's a new chapter. . Kinda have a writers block on my other one, but I will get it updated if anyone here is reading that one. Anyway, this one doesn't have a lot of action, but it's important. Anyway, you're welcome to tell me what you think. Also, I have changed up the timeline a bit. I hope you guys don't mind!

Enjoy!

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**Sand In An Hourglass**

**Chapter 4 - Business Deals and Stalkers**

The years fly by without notice. People's lives slowly pass before their very eyes. Young kids grow into adults. Before long, the Hidden Rock Village is rebuilt and just as powerful as before. The only thing the hourglass full of sand known as time has never been able to heal is the hearts of the people involved in the destruction. Each one is feeling a different type of pain over how everything turned out. Two are feeling guilty. Two are feeling confused and angry at the outcome.

The bar room is full of smoke and a low, yet strangely comforting, hum of voices. No one was truly drunk enough to any trouble. The place has a relaxed atmosphere that seems to speak of a place that friends to get together to chat about their day.

Sadly, that wasn't why the young lavender-haired woman was here. Her teal eyes are closed, and her cheek rests against the knuckles of her close fist. Her arm has propped up her tired head. Her skin was slightly paler than usual due to the cold she'd contracted. She knew this whole mission she'd accepted had been a stupid idea. As if her body agreed, she sneezed hard. The old man who tended the bar sent her a sympathetic glance, before he disappeared behind large a bald rouge ninja from the Hidden Star Village.

The young woman sniffles slightly and opens her eyes to look boredly at the only door to this place. Almost every man in the bar was secretly stealing glances at her. She wore a soft colored lavender shirt that matched her hair color almost perfectly. It held tight to her body. It showed the almost perfect curve of her waist and flat stomach. Her chest area wasn't overly large, nor was it too small. They were simply average sized. She wore shorts that came down to just below her knees and were a deep purple color. They hung fairly loose on her body. Her kunai pouch was strapped to her right leg, and she wore the typical bag that many ninjas did around her waist. Her left arm had a pristine white bandage wrapped completely around it that only came off when she was getting ready to shower. It reached from her wrist all the way to the bend of her elbow. Around her neck was the Rock Village headband with a scratch right through the middle of the symbol. The cause of this scratch was a fight that the young woman had gotten into with her brother. He had grabbed her by the hair, forcibly ripped the piece of clothing from around her neck, and put a scratch in it with a spare kunai.

…They haven't talked since that night. They haven't even seen each other in years.

The poor door suddenly opens and meets the wall with a solid thud. The old man lets out a snarl at the large silhouette. That was the third time this month that he'd have to repair another hole in his wall. Why did he put up with such behavior?

….Oh right. Ishiko and a few of the other more powerful rouges kept the peace here most of the time, so he got plenty of money for his troubles. It wasn't like he was hurting for money due to the bars funds. The name of the bar was "Safe Heaven", and it was a heaven to all sorts of rouge ninjas. However, not only the rouges found safety in the bar. Regular loyal ninjas did to. See the old man who owned the place had a special deal with the Mizukage. The deal consisted of the fact that the rouges would be safe while on the old man's property, but the regular ninjas had to be treated the same. And they were when they came around, tired and looking for a warm bed to sleep in.

The old man also was allowed to have people to enforce his peace. There were three he had choosen. One was an old rouge ninja from the old Whirlpool country. The man practically lived at the bar. The second was a young mysterious man from the Hidden Sand, who was rarely seen. Though he seemed to show up right when they needed him. The last was Ishiko, a young ninja hailing from the Hidden Rock Village. Who, like the other young man, was rarely around.

Every set of eyes in the bar turn toward the door. The hail-like rain was beating inside the room, and the wind was starting to chill everyone. A few grumbles and snarls cause the shadowy man to quickly shut the door. He turns and all but runs over to a glaring Ishiko. He sits down and twitches nervously. He was older, almost 50, and had thin peppery hair. He was growing large, since he was retired from being a ninja and dealing with some shady guy. Of course, he seeks Ishiko out to help him along and gives her part of his cut. Her job was to find the 'bounty' and report all his habits, attacks, and the location to her associate, so he could pass the information along to the guy that paid them a fair sum.

…And Ishiko was pissed about this last bounty. He'd been next to impossible to find and, when she finally managed to find him, she found out the guy was a warrior priest surrounded by a huge wall and hundreds, if not thousands, of other warrior priests in training. She had spent hours sitting on top of a stupid wall watching the bounty, while avoiding detection by the other priests. It had taken her months to get any detail, and even then, she wasn't pleased with what she'd got. She didn't even know any of the guy's moves!

"Wha-" starts her associate in a squeaky voice, but she quickly intervenes. His voice always rubbed her nerves the wrong way.

"Do you know how long I waited here?" Ishiko whispers in a stoic tone. She doesn't wait for a reply. Her eyes are closed once again, and her cheek is still resting against the knuckles on her hand. "I didn't get much. Just that he is in a temple within the boundaries of the Fire Country. He also seems to be one of the higher ranking priests. There are many other…..warrior priests." She sees him open his mouth and saves him the trouble of answering.

"They all look the like. Bald heads and wearing robes. I don't know one from the other, so I wasn't able to count them."

Her companion's eyes widen for a moment as his brain seems to try and figure out a reasonable number. Though once Ishiko's sarcastic words sink in, his eyes narrow. He barely contains the snarl he wants to give her. Despite her obvious loathing for conflict, she was an undoubtly powerful fighter in her own right. Maybe not as powerful as his client, but she was still able to hold her own. With a sigh, he rubs his forehead praying it gets rid of the coming headache.

"He won't be pleased. At least tell me you managed to mark the map this time." He mutters, only to blink when a map is pushed into his face. His large greedy hand snatches at the piece of paper only to come up empty. His simple black eyes lift to look into angry teal ones.

"75% this time." His eyes widens at the demand. He shakes his head.

"50% like every other time," he snarls at the young woman sitting across from him. He only pauses when a new waitress wanders over with a smile on her face.

"Hello sir. Welcome to Safe Heaven. What can I get you tonight?" she asks like she was taught to.

"Sake, please."

The girl bows and hurries away with a small squeal. Ishiko gains a soft smile on her face and shakes her head. The girl had just got her first order on her own. Ishiko's attention drifts back once more. Just as she starts to argue about the percentage of the cut she deserves, the door opens once more. The wind howls through with the rain this time. Two figures step in. The first figure to enter is about to Ishiko's stomach area and completely covered in a black and red cloak along with a bamboo hat that has white strings hanging down. The person walked with a type of lurch.

The second is about her height and wearing the same cloak as the first along with that hat. The person had broad shoulders, but that was about the only thing about them that was disguisable.

Ishiko watches them cautiously, just as she would any stranger in her 'home'. Once she deems them as not a threat to the comfortable peace, she turns her attention back her associate. What meets her eyes is amusing to her in a cruel way.

The man across the table was sweating and had suddenly become pale, almost as if he'd seen the ghost of a dead relative. His twitching had gotten worse, and it was obvious that he was terrified of the two who had just entered.

"75%? Alright, deal. I need to go though. I have an appointment to keep," he says in almost one breath and snatches the map from her hands. He disappears leaving a disappointed young waitress holding a full bottle of fresh cold sake. Ishiko gestures to the two new strangers.

"Give it to them."

Ishiko stands and begins to wind her way through the bar room and disappears upstairs to the room she had claimed as hers. It was time for a warm shower, and a long good night's rest.

A set eyes follows her body discreetly. He just knew it was her. It had to be! He'd finally convinced Leader-sama that she'd be a valuable asset to the organization with her skills as a spy.

After a few years of complaining, he'd managed to convince the powerful leader to allow him to take her as a sort of underling of his. It had taken just a bit of pushing to get his partner to take a small detour. Now he had finally found her.

"I thought you said she wouldn't be alone. I thought there was suppose to be an older male with her," states a gravely voice from the small 'stump' standing on the floor beside him. "Deidara, you moron, if you hauled me clear out to this little backwater village for nothing I will make you wish you were never born."

Deidara flashes his partner a cocky grin, but he was beginning to doubt his memory. There was no way that scrawny kid could have turned into a woman that beautiful. A sound makes him tense and look around. A young waitress nervously stutters out her reason for sitting a full bottle of sake before him.

"I-Ishiko s-said to b-bring t-this to you. P-please e-enjoy."

He can only stare at the bottle for a moment before he snaps out of his daze and instantly snatches up the sake and taking a big gulp out of it. A smile spreads over his face. His only visible blue eye glances toward Sasori. He can't help but taut the man.

"Oh, Sasori-no-danna, it's her. The headband and the name. I told you so."

There was silence for a moment, which only made the smirk grow larger as the silence drags on. But it quickly disappears after his partner speaks, or more like hisses, one word threateningly.

"Deidara!"


	5. Chapter 5 An Unwelcome Reunion

Sorry, it has taken a while to update. I appreciate everyone who has reviewed ^.^ I also appreciate those of you who are reading the story! Anyway, I'm hoping that within a few chapters Itachi will appear! :) The plot thickens lol. I'm hoping to find more time to continue to update not only this story, but my other one as well. Life gets you every time huh? XD

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the characters within the manga.

Please enjoy the update! ^.^

* * *

**Sand in an Hourglass**

**Chapter 5 – An Unwelcome Reunion**

Knock.

"Go away," states a sleep-laden feminine voice. It is slightly muffled due to the mouth of the user being buried into a pillow. She doesn't know nor does she care if the person on the other side of the door heard what she stated.

Knock, knock.

"I said go away!" the now irritated voice snaps loudly at the offending noise. Cold teal eyes lift up from the peach colored pillow to glare moodily at the dark brown wooden door for a few minutes. The eyes seem to dare the inanimate object to make another noise. A few moments of peaceful silence passes blissfully. After a sigh of relief, the teal eyes are closed and pushed back into the soft peach pillow.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Angry teal eyes snap up from the pillow to glare at the door like the noise is all the door's fault. Multiple threats are mentally thrown at the poor door. None of the threats are well thought out or even finished for that matter, because the ninja thinking them is only partially alert to her surroundings.

Ishiko gives up on sleeping as another bout of urgent knocking pounds on the defenseless door. She'll have to be good with the few hours of sleep she'd managed to grab. She sits up onto her knees and runs a hand through her matted and knotted hair. Her teal eyes stare blankly at the door. Was there an appointment that she had, once again, forgotten to make with a client of hers?

No. She was sure of it. Irritation crosses her face when the image of the chubby man she'd met with earlier crosses her mind. Within moments, her feet touch the cold wooden floor. The large shirt she wears to bed falls down to her thighs. She loudly stomps over to the door growling just as her hand touches the knob.

"Look, tell your client…" Ishiko states coldly as she yanks the door open. "….that's all the infom-"

The words die on her lips as her eyes meet the black and red cloak from before. Her eyes drift down then back up to the figure's face. Not much could be seen. Blonde hair covering the left eye and a mischievous blue eye stares back at her.

Talk about déjà vu.

Her teal eyes widen slightly when they spot the damaged Rock Village headband comes into view. Though she couldn't see it, a cocky grin spreads under the neckline of the cloak. One name crosses her mind. _Deidara._

"You've grown."

All hell breaks loose. Before Deidara could react, let alone think, a fist connects with his left cheek. He stumbles back. The punch stung a little, but it hurt his pride more. He hears the soft voice of his childhood friend voice hiss one word that surprises him.

"Bastard."

There is the slam of a door. It's silent for a moment, than harsh chuckles could be heard. Deidara's blue eye hardens at the laughter. His pride stinging even more than his cheek ever would.

"I see how thrilled she is at seeing you once again," the gravelly voice of his partner reaches his ears. He steps forward and once again beats on the door. He hadn't counted on her still being angry at him. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that she had loved their pathetic village more than her own life.

But to love it enough to punch him after not seeing him for years? That just served to anger him further.

"Go to hell, Deidara!" Ishiko yells through the door. This statement only fuels the quiet cruel laughter of Sasori. Deidara almost snarls, but somehow manages to keep his cool.

"Ishiko-chan, please just lis-" He's cut off by the door opening and meeting a teal gaze. Her eyes speak an unspoken threat.

She wanted to neuter him. All three of them knew it. Deidara, however, was unfazed by the silent threat. It wasn't like this is the first time he's seen such a look from her. Sasori, on the other hand, shift just a little, though he doesn't move enough to be noticed by the two younger ninja. There was no way he'd help out his stupid partner. Though a part of him wished that the two would do something more interesting than have what he called a "lover's quarrel". He had no idea of what the history was between the two of them. Nor did he particularly care.

It doesn't escape Deidara and Ishiko's notice when the strange "lump" as Ishiko called it started its strange lurching walk back down to the bar. Once he is gone, Deidara gains that cocky smirk once again.

"You haven't gotten any stronger."

He catches the fist this time, by the wrist. He squeezes it as a warning. Deidara finally realizes how much he'd missed her. It just hits him hard in the chest, though none of the feeling shines through. His eye searches over her now womanly body. He had heard that she'd turn out to be a beauty from many different adults back in their village. Though, he'd never expected it to look like this. Perfect curves along with a perfectly toned body, thanks for the exercise she gets from being a ninja no doubt. Her body was interesting, but she wasn't what Deidara was looking for in a woman. Despite how much he denied it, the former Rock Village ninja loved the girl standing before him. Though at first he thought it was romantic love, but after years of thinking it over, he realized that he simply loved her as a friend. The closest thing he considered, or ever would consider, as family.

"I'm going to stab that eyeball out of your head and shove it so far up your ass that you'll be seeing your stomach," a cold voice threatens through clenched teeth, pulling Deidara out of his thoughts. The smirk grows wider. She hadn't changed one bit outside of physical appearance.

"A lady wouldn't talk like that, but I guess you wouldn't even know how to act like one," he states sarcastically. He easily catches the second fist, but he fails to notice the leg. Which plants itself in a nice spot directly between his slightly spread legs. He releases her arms and slouches forward slightly. He grips his wounded area shamelessly and glares murderously at Ishiko. It didn't matter how much of a strong rogue ninja he was, he had a common area that was weak. It was conveniently shared by all men as well.

"Bitch."

"What is going on here?" A raspy old voice snarls from a door diagonal from Ishiko's own door. "Ishiko, if you're having problems with your lover take it outside. We don't want to hear it. Besides, you of all people should know that it's forbidden to do that here."

Oh Ishiko could kill the old Whirlpool ninja. However, she knew that if she were to deny seeing Deidara for a little "fun" in the middle of the night, it would only cement the idea in the old guy's head. It wasn't worth the hassle. Without looking back, she turns and starts down the hall. The old geezer was right as much as she hated to admit it. Fighting was strictly against the bar's rules. The rule was in place to keep bounty hunters from coming in and cleaning out the rogue ninjas for the prices on their heads, and also kept the rogues from having a free for all slaughtering spree on the loyal ninja who chose to go there.

The only way she knows Deidara is following her is his charka signature. He follows her all the way out into the rain. Once they were far enough away, she turns back to glare at the dark mass that carried the name of Deidara. The clouds blocked out any source of light and within moments they are drenched and cold from the wind and rain. Ishiko becomes uncomfortably aware of the fact she was simply wearing an overly large shirt and underwear. She was already starting to shiver.

"Ishiko, I have a proposal for you." Ishiko raises an eyebrow that she knows the man before her can't see. It was only now that she realized his voice had become much deeper sounding, more like a man's. That was about it though. The cloak had hide most of his body, so she couldn't see how much he'd changed other than his face looked older now.

"I'm not marrying you," she says flatly. Oh how she wishes she could see his face.

"You haven't matured at all, have you?" his angry voice spits back at her. Just as she starts to reply a gravelly voice cuts in.

"Deidara, wrap this up. We are late as it is."

The black mass shifts his weight to the other foot and speaks quickly. "Look, your spying skills are some of the best that I know of, hm. I've also heard the rumors that you are a rogue for hire and work for some creep barely getting enough to eat. I talked to the leader of this organization that I'm in. He has agreed to allow you to work for us. You'll have a home and a steady pay, un. You-"

"Not interested," Ishiko says. Her thoughts are racing. _Only make enough to get by? Barely eating? Does he not know that I have stored most of my money away? ….Of course he doesn't. He always blew all his money, even as a kid._

"You don't get a choice, Ishiko-chan," Deidara's voice whispers. She almost doesn't catch the words. Now he was threatening her?

Her eyes shift behind her as she sees the smaller lump as another dark mass. Her heart begins to pound. Adrenaline rushes through her veins as her natural flight or fight mode kicks into high gear. What was she getting into? Her head snaps back as she hears a zipper. Her eyes narrow slightly as she tries to figure out what is going on.

It hits like a rock. Deidara was going to attack her. Only seconds later, Ishiko throws her weight to the right to avoid a small explosion. Sure it wouldn't have killed her, but it would have hurt like hell.

She had no weapons at all. She curses mentally as she uses her memory to find her way back to the inn at a dead run. Just as she sees the lights, a body blocks them out. She slides to a stop in the mud.

_Aw, hell I didn't even grab my shoes._

Her hands quickly form signs. She draws in a breath and lifts her fingers to her mouth, than she exhales using a fire based attack. She didn't bother to think of the name, let alone state it for her enemy. The body moves to avoid the attack, and she's on the run again.

Her luck strikes again. A heavy body collides with her own, clumsily knocking the two to the ground. She thrashes for a moment, but that is short lived as a sickening snap takes place. Her body stills for a moment as shock and adrenaline keep her brain from working properly. The pain clears the path nicely though. A hiss takes the place of the scream she wishes to use to express the pain. A rogue thought forces it's way to the front of her consciousness.

The body that had trapped her was cold and hard, like a piece of wood, not the soft and warm body she'd been expecting. It was making a strange clicking noise and was wrapped around her body in a way a human body had no right bend.

And there was a pain in her left side. A pain that was quickly spreading and making her feel every single vein, big or small, in her entire body. It was the paralyzing, agony filled type of pain. Though she doesn't know it, her vision has faded to black. She slips into unconsciousness cursing her childhood friend, and her own lack of taijutsu.

* * *

"You didn't have to poison her, Sasori-no-danna." Deidara states irritated as he finds, and dislodges the older man's puppet.

"She ran from us. You know the rules, Deidara." Sasori states coldly. His puppet disappears in a poof of smoke. He was outside of Hiruko for once. He makes his way over to the girl that is unconscious because of the poison. His cold hand reaches out and roughly shifts her onto her back so that he could check for the bone he'd heard snap.

He frowns slightly at the mess he'd made. He hadn't expected the ninja to break so….easily. _Guess I used too much force._

Her right leg was broken in two places. Sasori was slightly peeved at where it was broken. Of course, it had to be dead center of her thigh and calf bones. It'd make it difficult for her to walk, and he sure as hell wasn't toting her around like some princess. His hands quickly form a few signs and glow softly as he places his unfeeling hand over the first break. [1] He was slightly thankful that it wasn't a compound fracture to the bone. A simple hairline fracture was an easy fix. Though it had crossed his mind to simply leave it be, he didn't want to deal with a whining woman. Besides, Leader-sama had requested that she be brought before him unharmed. God only knew for what reason. Sasori would rather not test the patience of the mysterious man.

The calf bone isn't so pretty. He carefully resets the fracture and also begins to heal it. Once both bones are healed to perfection, he quickly administers the antidote to the paralyzing poison he'd got her with.

"Deidara, we're leaving," Sasori says in his soft monotone voice. Only silence greets him. He doesn't feel his partner's chakra signature anywhere nearby. Anger flares in the only human part of his body. "That little….."

His eyes glare down at the girl. If only Orochimaru hadn't left. He wouldn't be stuck hauling an unconscious female or deal with a brat like Deidara.

Just as that thought crosses his mind, Deidara's feet lightly touch the ground, barely making a noise. Though use to it, Deidara ducks to avoid getting nailed by Hiruko's tail. He tenses when he doesn't hear the whistling of the tail cutting the air. The air is chilly with the rain and wind. The objects he is holding in his arms are starting to get heavy.

"Deidara, wh-" Sasori starts before he is rudely interrupted by his still childish companion.

"I had to get her clothes, weapons, and headband from her room, yeah."

Silence falls heavily between the two. Only the sound of the rain is heard. Naively, Deidara wonders what he said wrong. The silence is broken by a grunt and a second thud as a heavy body collides with the water soaked earth.

* * *

I don't know if anyone reads the little foot notes XD I know I do, but anyway.

[1]. I don't know if it specifically states that Sasori is a medical ninja. It's been a while since I watched or read any part of Naruto. I vaguely remember him telling Chiyo something along the lines of him puncturing a vital organ of Sakura's during their fight and that Chiyo, as a medical ninja, should know that she wouldn't last long. I assume that since his grandmother taught him puppet techniques, she would have taught him medical ninjutsu. Also since he makes puppets out of humans, he must have a significant amount of knowledge regarding a human body. It's just an assumption on my part and fit nicely inside the fic.


	6. Chapter 6 Strange Encounters

I know it's been a while and thank you to those of you who have read it. I tried to make this chapter funny, however Itachi finally appears. Lol, though he doesn't talk much. But he made his appearance finally! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'll try to get them out sooner than I have been.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any characters that are a part of the manga/anime.

* * *

**Sand in an Hourglass**

**Chapter 6**

Her cold teal eyes glare at his back. Her lavender hair whips around her face violently due to the force of the wind. The hair could easily match her current mood that was directed at her old 'friend'. There were only two reasons she did not get up to physically express her "excitement" at seeing her old childhood friend.

One, she was tied up at her ankles with her wrists secured behind her back. The ropes seemed to suck her chakra slowly, though it still made a significant impact on her chakra levels.

The second reason was that she was, what she claimed to be and Deidara denied, miles up in the air. It wasn't worth the risk of pissing one of the men off and ending up being thrown carelessly over the edge of the flying…thing.

"It's art, yeah," Deidara states for the hundredth time and looks back at Ishiko with an irritated face. Her face twists into one of pure disgust.

"Say another word, and I'll throw your ass over the edge. Besides, this is made out of dirt. How can it be art?" she retorts rudely. So much for Ishiko trying not to piss one of the strangely clothed men off.

"If you throw him over, he'll release the jutsu. It'd be like suicide on your part," Sasori states calmly. He was growing irritated. The three of them had had multiple conversations similar to this one. In fact, the puppeteer had officially lost count on how many times he's listened to it. He would never admit it, but the conversations had amused him at first. She'd insult his art in some form, such as calling it dirt. He'd get pissed and want to prove to her just how much of his little clay figures was made of dirt. Sasori would intervene at the right moment to spare her life. Not out of kindness. Just out of the fact, he had no desire whatsoever to have her blood sprayed over himself. He also didn't want Deidara's anger to be expressed in such tight quarters.

Sasori had analyzed the female sitting directly in front of him. Her taijutsu skills weren't her strong point obviously. He had yet to see her ninjutsu skills, but he was almost positive she'd be a genjutsu user. He takes a quiet breath and closes his eyes as it starts over again.

Ishiko insults.

Deidara threatens.

Sasori intervenes.

Luckily, Deidara had started to drop altitude. They were close, and the younger ninja must have sensed their comrades making their way toward the most current lair. The minute the clay bird touches ground. A monstrous, blue man lumbers out of the underbrush. His eyes light up upon seeing the two other Akatsuki members.

"What do you know? You two are suppose to be on a long haul mission looking for some bounty for money aren't you?" He says through a grin. A shorter man noiselessly follows the blue man out of the underbrush.

Ishiko grunts as Deidara grabs her upper arm and practically yanks her off of his creation. Sasori lands with a thump beside her. Keeping a hand on her arm, Deidara arrogantly looks over the two of them before sending a cocky grin at the blue male. "We got side-tracked. Leader –sama is going to allow this one to help us out."

To emphasize his point, he gives Ishiko a shake. Her teal eyes flash dangerously at the comment that Deidara said, but her instincts tell her that now isn't the best time to mouth off. Two sets of new eyes focus upon the bound girl. Ishiko takes a minute to take in the two new enemies.

The first was a man that had strangely blue colored skin. Darker blue colored hair accented the top of his head. His eyes were beady and held a murderous look. He wore the same cloak as the others. What really caught Ishiko's eye was the giant…. Well, it had a handle so she assumed it was a sword. She could only assume though. It was covered with bandages. The sword covered the male's back. He was much taller than Ishiko, to be honest she estimated that she'd only reach his chest. The only differences in the male's uniform was he had what looked like arm warmers on his arms. They looked mostly white but had a blue ring around the bottom and started at his wrists before traveling up into the sleeves of the strange cloak. The typical metal headband that had a large slash though its' symbol. The mist village. She about says what happens to run through her mind. Lucky for her, she just barely manages to remain silently.

_Is that even human? It looks like some demented shark that grew legs._

His thoughts were slightly more perverted as his eyes shamelessly scanned her body. It reminded her just what she'd been dressed in before she'd been captured. It'd been a while for him since he'd seen any 'action'. Ishiko's teal eyes show her disgust when she finally notices his lecherous look. Her attention turns to the man standing beside him. The first thing she notices is his eyes. They are a strange red color that doesn't quite look natural. A design around the pupil makes her suck her breath in. Everyone had to know a Sharigan when they saw one. Well, at least high ranking shinobi knew it when they saw it. A quick glance at his headband shows what she already knows. A former Leaf Shinobi. Her eyes drift lower once more to take in the man. Sadly, the cloak hid almost everything about his body type. She silently admits to herself that he has an attractive face.

His dark-colored slightly dull hair frames his face nicely. The rest is tied back in what appears to be a low ponytail. His face is completely devoid of any emotion at all, and he had some odd line looking marks on his face. But strange appearances where part of Ishiko's world, so she paid little mind to them. He wore the same cloak as the other three men, however his was open to the middle of his chest showing the dark undershirt with the fishnet mesh across the top for about an inch or two. His left arm was casually resting just above the buttoned part of his jacket. For a moment, Ishiko wonders if he'd injured it in some way, but she doesn't see a bandage. A chain-like necklace with three exaggerated links finishes up the man's looks.

The man had given her a once over and turned to listen to the now talkative Deidara explain something to the two. The blue man's mouth twists into a smirk. One that Ishiko was hoping she'd never see again. It displayed sharp pointy teeth she hadn't seen before. His rumble-like voice draws her attention.

"To think you of all people would do the exact same thing to another person. I would have thought you'd have a little sympathy for her. Yet, you do exactly what Itachi-san did you." His laughter breaks the heavy silence that had fallen over the small group.

"Shut up, Kisame-danna!" [1] Deidara snaps in irritation. He was already feeling guilty. He didn't need a comrade punctuating what he'd already done. The comment only serves to widen the already large smirk on the shark man's face.

"Aw, looky here. He doesn't want to face what he's done," Kisame's rumbling voice continues to taunt. Deidara's fist clench tightly as he glares at the much larger man fearlessly. Ishiko couldn't help but wonder if this was a natural occurrence between the two.

A shuffle pulls her out of her odd daydream. A hunched over figure beside her causes every trained muscle in her shinobi body to tighten in response to the fight or flight portion of her brain to activate. The ropes around her ankles and wrists are cut, and Sasori moves away from her. Her brain doesn't process what exactly just happened for a moment. That's when she realizes that she has an advantage.

There was thick forest around them. Ishiko silently thanked Deidara for not hauling her very far, though it felt like forever on that ridiculous dirt bird. Her teal eyes take in the fact that Sasori's hunched figure now has his back to her. The other three males seemed so absorbed in their conversation; she doubted they'd have time to notice that she had a clean break into the thick underbrush. It was now or never. Every instinct she possess kicks into gear as her muscles tense, and her heart rate picks up.

In only a few moments, she is on her feet and running hard into the underbrush. She sends what is left of her chakra to her feet to try and add to her speed. This was the most important part of the chase. She knew she had to put as much distance between herself and those men.

She successfully makes it through the first part of the underbrush before an arm catches the back of her shirt, yanking the collar into her throat and making her stop. She gasps for breath as she leans back dangerously to get precious air into her lungs. A grinning blue face appears in her field of vision. She inwardly groans. How did she not hear the huge shinobi move? He seems to find it faintly amusing that she had even tried to escape her captors.

"Going somewhere, woman?" The degradation in his voice makes her temper flair, but she wisely chooses not to move when she notices a flash of blond. And oh man did Deidara looked pissed.

"We should break a few ribs and a leg to prevent her from running again, hm" Deidara snaps, a cold blue eye glaring right into Ishiko's emotionless teal ones. She couldn't help but think of a jab at him.

"Maybe you shouldn't have tried to leave the village and have me hauled into your sorry plan. I was perfectly content on being where I was. You tore me away from my family and friends. You tore me away from my village!" As the small speech continued, her voice raised in pitch steadily. She never fully yelled at him though.

Ishiko is yanked roughly from the Mist shinobi's grasp and finds her face inches from Deidara's as he states low enough for just her to hear.

"I am not the only one to blame, hm. In fact, I didn't do shit to get you kicked out. I had no idea you were fleeing from a scene that left a few ANBU dead, un. You can thank your brother for that one. He's the one I had the deal with. I had no intention on you falling under our new title, yeah." Deidara snarls before releasing her and shoving a bag into her hands. He states louder, "Your clothes, shoes and headband are in that bag. If you try to run, we'll know. You have 5 minutes to get fully dressed."

Ishiko scrambles to hide herself in the brush. It was rare that one saw Deidara that irritated. In fact, she's only seen it once. Her mind drifts back as she automatically pulls her clothing on.

*Flashback Start*

"_Ishiko, why the hell are you even bothering to be a shinobi?" A high pitched female academy student asks her once again. They were on a break from homeroom, and Ishiko had instantly gone in search of her old friend, Deidara._

_Unfortunately, Ishiko had been cornered before she even managed to get out of the building. She was too young to understand the curse of her clan. So she didn't understand why the older girl and her twin brother were singling her out. She always tried her best to ignore it._

_The girl's twin joins in the taunt as usual._

"_You're stupid clan doesn't specialize in anything but traitor techniques! What kind of clan is known for their ability to spy?" Pain rushes through Ishiko's chest at the insult directed at her clan. She sucks air into her lungs to puff out her chest cavity to seem bigger._

"_My clan is good at other things too! My father is great with Taijutsu! My mom is awesome at Genjutsu and can handle her own with Ninjutsu!" The two older students look at each other and start to laugh._

"_You're both just jealous of her abilities cause you don't have anything special," A third voice pipes up from above the three. Three pairs of curious eyes wander up in the direction of the voice to find a blue-eyed, blond-haired boy looking down at them. His eyes held unspeakable anger at the sight of his friend getting picked on….again. "Taro, you're just jealous that she has more potential than you do."_

_The boy's eyes narrow. "What did you say, Deidara? Don't tell me you're getting high and mighty cause you're catching onto the techniques fast."_

_Deidara calmly walks down the stairs. The moment his foot hits the floor level with them, Tora rushes at him. Deidara ducks around a clumsily thrown fist, and he lifts his own right into Tora's exposed and shocked face. A loud crack followed by a pained scream echos off the walls and alerts a passing Sensei._

_Ishiko stares silently at her friend. Pure disgust and irritation show on his face as he glares down at the boy. She'd never ever saw him give such a…. Her young mind struggled for a word that was present on her friends face. A look she'd only seen on her older brother when he'd gotten mad at something that someone said about their clan._

_Oh, she had the word. Dangerous. Very few people she met ever had a dangerous look in their eyes along with a dangerous expression. It scared her for a moment, but it also made her anxious. None of the adult shinobi of the Rock Village ever looked like that. She couldn't help but swallow softly. It was then that she decided something that would remain in her sub-conscious mind for the rest of her life._

_Deidara was dangerous now. He'd be deadly when he was fully trained._

*Flashback End*

Feeling more secure now that a majority of her legs wasn't exposed to the lecherous sharkman… thing's [2] gaze. She grumbles as she notices her brush is missing. With a roll of teal eyes, she runs her fingers through her hair. Her headband is the last to go on. Her fingers pause as they raise the metal and cloth.

The slash through the metal made all the more final every time she saw it. She still couldn't believe that she was forced out of her home and away from her little brother. Her eyes slide closed, and her hands skillfully tie the headband into place around her neck.

Figuring if she stalled any longer, Deidara would come looking for her. Or worse, the sharkman…..thing would. And she'd be stuck out here with some lecherous male who didn't even appear to be of the same species. Or of any other species she knew of.

Pushing her way out, Ishiko comes face to face with the blue man she'd been dreading. And to her dismay, Deidara's clay bird is gone. Sasori's hunched form is nowhere in sight, and Deidara's gruff voice is gone. Cold red eyes meet hers, and a shiver slides up her spine. The quiet dark-haired Uchiha finally speaks up.

"We were on our way back to the lair. It would be easier to leave you in our care for Leader-sama to assess your abilities."

And just like that, he is walking away. Kisame pokes at her side causing Ishiko to jump and hurry after the normal looking human man. Heavy footsteps follow after her, once again making her wonder how he'd caught her without her ever noticing that he was there or coming for that matter.

The silence was stretching on. Ishiko caught herself wishing that Deidara was there to dispel the quiet atmosphere. With a shake of her head and a prod in her back to tell her she was slowing down, she picks up her pace to catch up with the retreating back of the Uchiha she still didn't know the name of.

* * *

[1]. In an omake, Deidara calls Kisame "Kisame-no-danna". So I sorta adopted it.

[2]. Don't get me wrong I love Kisame, but lol I highly doubt I'd like him at if I met him in person. Lol, I honestly didn't know how to describe him when I first saw him, so this is sorta based off my first impression of him. I've come to like him though.

Oh I'd also like to add. I know that my stuff has many mistakes. So if you're bored and interested in actually proofreading it for me I'd appreciate it. I try to go back over it a couple times before posting, but still don't catch them all the time. I hope you all enjoyed!


	7. Chapter 7 Welcome

Thank you ultima-owner for the reviews you've made :). I'm glad the the humor seems to be effective! Reviews are always awesome. XD But I'm bad at actually reviewing so I typically won't ask for reviews. Thanks for those that doe though! They really make a difference (haha as sappy as that may sound :p )

I hope that you guys enjoy the new chapter. Oh yes, also I don't know if any of you may have noticed, but my grammar skills aren't perfect. If you'd like to try and help me out with them, that'd be great! You can pm me on here or leave a review. My e-mail is also on my profile. Thanks! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, the characters within the Manga or Anime, nor the places.

* * *

**Sand in an Hourglass**

**Chapter 7 - "Welcome"**

A loud snore tears through the night air. The noise disrupts the crickets' song for a moment and causes a small form to jolt up to a sitting position. Tired teal eyes glare at the offending object. The cold night air was held at bay on one side of her.

At least it had been that way a couple hours ago when she'd fallen asleep next to a nice blazing warm fire. Her eyes stare at the black and gray coals and shutters. The snore causes her to look up again. Her eyes find the shadowy shape of her new companion. Her eyes narrow since all she could really make out was the red cloud like pattern.

"How cliché that someone of his size would snore," she mutters under her breath and sits up brushing at the area of clothing she knows will have all kinds of grime on it from laying on the bare earth. After sitting up completely she notices something, or better said someone, is missing from the camp. Her mind races with ideas on how to sneak away. She knew this was going to be her last chance to actually get away. Cross your fingers and pray to whatever god that you choose to that it works.

Silently, the young ex-Rock ninja rises to her feet and moves toward the large body sleeping not far away. A pang of guilt runs through her heart as she wraps her hand around the hilt of the large sword. She reasons it away as quickly as she could. It was true she was starting to like the wise-cracking giant of a man. He helped to keep the silence at bay when his partner didn't seem all that inclined to actually speak. Ishiko was starting to believe that just maybe she'd been wrong about him.

She starts to lift it up off the ground. God was this thing heavy! She got the hilt about stomach height with the tip still resting on the ground when she paused. She could have sworn that she'd felt something move around her. Her eyes widen when she feels that it is the hilt of the sword that shifted beneath her hands. She hadn't even lifted the sword all the way up yet! On instinct, she lets go of the sword just as little spikes flash out exactly where her hands had been. The sword falls to the ground with a loud thud.

It happens so fast, Ishiko barely has time to breath. The lump is on its feet not fully awake but alert to a danger that is obviously close. The sudden movement knocks Ishiko back which causes her to stumble over the dead fire and fall flat on her back effectively knocking the wind out of her lungs.

How graceful for a ninja.

The noise causes the larger Shinobi to pounce upon his prey much like a cat would. Teal eyes widen in sudden fear. A large, and obviously moving, white tipped sword is inches from her face. Kisame's feet are planted on either side of her body cutting off escape route, not that Ishiko could have thought about running at that moment. Who would with a giant sword, which seemed to be alive, was inches from cutting off their nose?

"Kisame," a dark voice said. Ishiko's whole body dives into an even bigger adrenaline rush than before. She didn't recognize that voice, nor did she even sense anyone's chakra signature around other than Kisame's.

"You're going to hurt her. Leader-sama wants to see if she'll be of use in the future. If you mutilate her, I don't think he'll be pleased," a softer male voice states just after the first one had spoken. Obviously, Ishiko's brain flies into panic mode. Not only was there one person nearby that she couldn't find, but she just found out from the voices that there were two. [1]

Kisame stares down at the person between his feet. He hadn't meant to fall asleep. Years of living on the run had taught him to be alert at all times, even when asleep. One never knew when an assassin might come knocking. Or worse, one of the hunter-nins that his village was famous for and the various bounty hunters that roamed the land looking for their next meal. The wide-eyed look on the young girl's face causes him to pause for a moment. A chuckle rises from his throat. He doesn't move, but he does want to toy with her further. After all, he could tell she'd tried to haul his sword off.

He lifts up his sword with a sadistic grin on his blue face. A flick of the wrist, and the sword is coming down at Ishiko's vulnerable head. Her eyes immediately snap shut. She just knew this was the end of her short life. She just didn't want to watch it happen. A loud thunk next to her head makes Ishiko flinch and slowly open her eyes. White feels the vision on one side of her head. The blue faced grin is what she focuses on next. She couldn't believe she was alive. His sudden loud booming laughter causes heat to rise to her cheeks. It was becoming visibly lighter. She looks away willing to let it go. She feels the large male shift and knows that he's no longer standing over her.

"Well, well, the Gaki [2] is a thief as well." A wicked grin spreads over his face. Anger blossoms in teal eyes. Kisame breaks into laughter only to move his sword to protect his 'family jewels' from an angry female's fist. Ishiko winces when it hits the blade. Another bout of laughter only serves to pound her already wounded pride lower. An idea for a jab back at his pride suddenly pops into her head.

Kisame's laughter dies on his lips as he stares suspiciously down at the now innocent eyes of the younger female. Her head tilting to the left just a little only makes his eyes narrow further. He knew she was up to something. He knew she was planning to do something. He didn't have to know her long to figure out she'd get even when pushed far enough.

"Awwww, well if Aoihime [3] didn't snore so loud I wouldn't have to worry about getting decent sleep and waking Aoihime up," The wicked grin is now covering Ishiko's face.

Until she notices him grip the hilt of his sword in a white-knuckled grip.

And when she noticed the completely pissed off look on the man's face.

_Now would probably be a good time to get out of here, _Ishiko thinks to herself as she moves a little to get to her feet. The second she moves the man has the sword off the ground and arching toward her body.

Ishiko's heart races as her Shinobi training kicks in, and she throws her weight toward the left. As she rolls away she hits a rock and releases a hiss of pain as she quickly scrambles to her feet. The blue man is already lifting up his sword with a murderous look on his face.

_Maybe I pissed off the wrong person?_

She flinches to her left to avoid an over head strike. She quickly draws her own kunai and turns to fend off a strike to her abdomen. For the second time in an hour, the hit knocks the wind out of her the minute it hits. To say she was surprised by his brute strength would be an understatement. To Ishiko, it felt like getting hit by a train.

She slides a little ways before the force knocks her back a little bit more. The kunai seems to disappear as she ends up on her butt staring up at the irritated rogue Shinobi. His sword is lifted once again. Ishiko's eyes narrow as she forces her panic to subside and starts to think of a way out of the situation.

"Enough." One word. It's spoken coldly, but it effectively freezes both of the Shinobi. Slowly, they turn their heads in union to look upon the owner. Itachi is emotionlessly looking at them from the shadows of a tree. Neither had noticed the sun was already half risen, not until Itachi called their attention from the small squabble that could have turned deadly for Ishiko.

Kisame grunts, but he puts his sword away. He glances around the small camp they'd made to see that it was pretty much destroyed by their activity. He turns and walks toward his partner without another word. He was still fuming about the comment from the small Rock Shinobi, but he didn't think that Itachi had slept much. It was best not to get on the Uchiha's bad side, especially when there is a chance said Uchiha is already in a bad mood.

Ishiko glares at the two males. An emotionless look causes her to shiver and stand up. She dusts herself off and follows after Kisame without a word. Itachi falls into step behind her. Just what she needed. She felt like a criminal who was on her way to her own execution.

* * *

Regret. That's the only emotion she could feel at the moment. She fully regretted making Kisame mad. Now she had absolutely no one to talk to. The few times she did try talking to him, he'd answer with a grunt or a snap of "Shut up, Gaki". Itachi wasn't any better, and she got the sense that he didn't enjoy holding a conversation with anyone. He was cold through and through as far as she could tell. Every time his cold eyes looked toward her, her mouth would snap shut and she'd forget what she was going to try and say.

Now here she was with the day half gone already. She'd lost track of the time they'd spent travelling to who knew where in the Water country. Her teal eyes drift up to stare at the fragmented sky. It was heavy with clouds. Her nose wrinkles at the thought. If she remembered right that meant it'd rain either tonight or early tomorrow. Maybe that was why this area was known as the Water country?

Her mindless ramblings cause her to run into the back of Kisame, who sends a glare over his shoulder at her. She glares back defiantly, but he's already forming hand signs. A cave shimmers into view. Ishiko's eyes narrow. Odd, she hadn't sensed a genjutsu.

The cave is just like any other. Nothing out of the ordinary strikes Ishiko. The dripping of water echoed from the mouth. Basically, it looked damp, cold and above all else scary. Who knew what lived in caves anyway?

A shove from behind pushes her tells her that they are going into the cave. A second shove gets her actually moving. She swallows hard when she realizes they are following behind her. At least they weren't sending her in on her own. It doesn't take long before Ishiko stops to stare. Within seconds of the three Shinobi entering, the area lights up with multiple torches. A quick glance around the room shows that it's just a circle-shaped opening in the cave. The ceiling disappears above the reach of the firelight. There is only one way to get into the room. Unfortunately, that way lies behind her and her two 'companions'. That's when something unnerving happens.

Glowing grey eyes appear a few feet in front of Ishiko. She takes a few steps back. A hand wraps around the cold comforting metal of a kunai. The eyes are followed by a shadowy body that is rainbow colored. The eyes are cold and detached, but Ishiko can tell there is a hint of sadness buried beneath all the layers. She'd never seen eyes like that. It had multiple…..rings? She wasn't sure, but they focused on her with cold calculation.

"We got hung up on our way here. Kisame and the girl got into an argument," Itachi reports from the right side of Ishiko, though he is still behind her. "We did turn in the bounty though."

Wow what a report. The shadow nods at the short report and focuses solely on Ishiko.

"This is the one that Deidara mentioned? The one with the spying skills?" There is a pause as he looks past her. He must have gotten his answer in the form of a nod, because he once again focuses on her and drops the bomb shell. "Well, he praised her skills. I looked her up. Her clan's techniques might prove useful. We'll see how she does."

_Wait. Did he say that Deidara had a hand in this as well? What was going on?_ Anger builds, and she clenches her fists. _The next time I see that bastard he'll be unable to reproduce and be completely useless to whatever woman that would be stupid enough to try and bed him._

A large hand clasps onto her shoulder. Her eyes drift toward it. Odd it was blue. That didn't fit into her little day dream. A mocking voice next to her ear makes her heart sink. It wasn't something she'd ever expected to hear. It was cold hard reality in the form of Kisame's voice.

"Welcome to the Akatuski, Gaki."

* * *

[1]. One guess as to who the 'two' people are haha.

[2]. Gaki means brat in this case.

[3]. XD I had to put this in. I set it up so it should mean 'Blue Princess'. Can you imagine Kisame's face?


	8. Chapter 8 Upcoming Mission and New Team

Hey guys. Been a while huh? Sorry I haven't updated for a while. I've been a little busy. XD I know excuses excuses. I just got married recently and had job issues. I'm kinda happy with how this chapter turned out. It's a far ways from my first idea on how this chapter should be. Anyway, thanks for sticking with me guys! And thanks for adding it to favorites or putting it on alert. I really enjoy the comments that you guys give me! (: And thanks to you guys who read even if you don't do any of those things.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Naruto, the places, or some of the plot.

Enjoy!

* * *

**Sand in an Hourglass**

**Chapter 8 – Upcoming Mission and New Team**

Ishiko's blood runs cold as Kisame's large blue hand disappears from her shoulder. She swallows hard trying to force herself to remember what the rainbow man had said. She didn't remember anything other than her ridiculous daydream about making Deidara less of a man.

Mentally, she curses herself and her overactive imagination.

"Get her to a room. She'll be going on a mission in a half hour." A voice pulls her out of her thoughts. Her teal eyes widen as Ishiko realizes that she once again had been so deep in thought that she had missed what the rainbow man had said.

It was too late to ask now, because the man had already disappeared. A hand grabbed her elbow and almost pulls her off balance. Ishiko barely represses the snarl that she wants to let loose, while she attempts to regain her balance. The person pulling her along doesn't think that her balance is as important as she does, since he just kept pulling her along. The one time she tried to pull her elbow back to keep from tripping made the hand, that she now saw belonged to the Uchiha, squeezed even harder.

Her teal eyes just glared at the back of his head. She didn't pay attention to the direction that they were going. She stumbled into Itachi, when they finally came to a stop at a plain looking door. He didn't even so much as glance at her. He just opened the door and pushed her inside. His frame blocked the exit as he waited for Ishiko to regain her balance.

"You look here you bastard! You have no right whatsoever to ev-" Ishiko snaps but is rudely interrupted by the calm, expressionless voice of the Uchiha.

"The door to your right is a private bathroom. The clothes that you have are the only things you will have until you buy yourself some different ones. It is the same for the weapons. We will not provide trivial things for you. You will get money for missions just as you would if you were in a village. How you decide to use it is up to you." And with the miniature speech, the man is gone. Ishiko lets a frustrated breath out and steps up to slam the door shut. She runs a hand through tangled hair and realizes that once again she doesn't have a brush.

With fingers crossed but not hoping for much, she turns to look at the room. Her heart sinks at the sight of it. It's obvious that it hasn't seen an occupant in what could have been years. The whole room was covered in a layer of dust. Cobwebs ran along the floor of the wall and in every corner. Her body shivers at the thought of how many spiders it would take to make that many webs. The bed was simply just a mattress on a frame. A short yet sturdy looking dresser was sitting by the door to the bathroom.

Nervous about what she would find, Ishiko takes a step toward the bathroom. An unsteady hand slowly turns the knob and pushes the door open. The whole room is engulfed in darkness. And for a moment Ishiko wonders why the bedroom had a light on it.

'The Uchiha must have turned it on when he shoved me in' she thought trying to rationalize it. Her hand slides across the wall just inside the door, before she feels the switch. With a flick, the whole room is bathed in a blinding white light. Her face twists into disgust at the sight of the bathroom. It has an even thicker layer of dirt that looks like mud in the shower and sink. The mirror hanging above the small sink is so covered in dirt that if it hadn't been for its' shape and position she wouldn't have been able to identify it.

Ishiko backs up a few steps. Only one thought ran through her head, when she was done analyzing the situation.

'What the fuck did they do to this room?'

A knock on her door momentarily distracts her. Her teal eyes wander toward the door. She jumps as the door opens, and a hand almost flies to her head. She had forgotten to lock the door or even see if there was a locking mechanism.

A blond head peeks around the door at her. A mocking blue eye had already looked around the room when he had opened the door.

"Nice place you got here, hn," Deidara says with a smirk. He completely ignores the cold look that he receives from his former friend. He steps completely into the room. His face twists into disgust as he catches a glance of the bathroom just over her shoulder.

"What are you doing here, dickhead?" Ishiko snarls. Her fists are clenched. She suddenly remembers what exactly it was that she wanted to do to him. His calm demeanor wasn't helping her foul mood. "I thought that you had to go on some far away mission anyway."

Deidara shrugs carelessly as he makes his way toward the bed to sit down. One glance at the gray mattress makes him think otherwise. He remains standing to avoid contracting anything that might be growing on the mattress. He can still feel her heated glare on his back.

"Deidara, I asked you a question." His blue eye meets her cold teal eyes. There were so many questions floating around in her eyes that he didn't know where to start. Once again how much he missed her hits him hard.

"It turns out that Leader-sama wanted us back. We were close enough to the base to make it here before you guys arrived, hm" Deidara states as if it was common knowledge.

Ishiko's temper flares even more. She still couldn't believe that this man had not only cost her one home, but possibly two of them. This place they expected her to stay in was a dump to say the least. Her fists clenched. She wanted answers, and she wanted them now. Before she gets a chance to ask though, Deidara suddenly starts talking.

"We don't like to help each other around here, hm. We are rogues working for the organization's cause. This is a servant room. That's why it's in this condition. We do pay you, so you can fix it up, hn. But from the sound of the jingles in your kunai pouches, I'd say you had enough to fix it up on your own. This is your place. Your own personal sanctuary, hm." His blue eye regards her seriously. "We honestly don't harass each, while the other is in their room. It's just an unspoken rule that we all follow. I'm in yours right now, cause I'm responsible for you, so I have to assess it, hn"

"I'm not a baby, Deidara. I can take care of myself," Ishiko snarls. He continues like she hadn't said anything.

"The….. servants are a bit kinder to each other than us. They don't wear our cloaks. To wear one means you are recognized by our organization as a full-fledged member, hn. Many servants are forced into their roles, much like you. Others will cut your throat to get to the top and become a member, so you have to pick your friends carefully, hn."

"Why did you do it?" she askes quietly.

"You need to watch out for the members, hn. Not all of them are as nice as me." This piece elects an eye roll from Ishiko. She grits her teeth saying his name, but he keeps going. "Especially Hidan or Kakuzu. Both have a nasty temper. They won't hesitate to kill you. You're fortunate though, hn. You actually have a chance to advance and wear our colors, cause you will work with the teams as an additional member."

That last sentence makes her blood run cold. It all suddenly makes sense. She can't find her voice. She suddenly realizes the true meaning of the mission she'd be going on. To Deidara, it must look like she is choking. He stops whatever else he had jumped into. He gives her a strange look.

"This mission… is it like…. A…. test of sorts? Like to see if I'm worthy?" Ishiko practically whispers.

Deidara thinks for a moment with his visible eye closed. His eye slowly opens, and he says slowly, "In a manner of speaking, yes it is. It's much more than that though. See if you don't pass the test, and the mission fails due to something you did…."

His pause makes her nervous. She wanted to yell at him to hurry and tell her what she was already dreading.

"You'll be killed," a second gravelly voice says. Ishiko's head turns toward the door to see Sasori hunched there. She starts to shake though it is barely visible. She couldn't see his eyes, but she knew he was looking at her. "If you try to escape, you will lose your life as well."

* * *

'If you try to escape, you will lose your life as well.'

That sentence rang out in her head so many times. Even as Deidara lead her down the hallway. Once again, she didn't bother to look up to see where they were going. All she could think about was the fact that it looked like she was stuck with a group that she knew almost nothing about.

"Is this her?" A new deep growl-like voice says. Ishiko was surprised to find that it was even deeper than Sasori's. Her gaze is dragged from the ground in curiosity. The sight before her makes her eyes widen.

Two men stand before her. She's not sure which one was the one that spoke. She faintly hears Deidara talking to them. Her eyes take in the men that she'd spend the next little while with.

One is almost as tall as Kisame. His hair is covered in a white hood. His face from the nose down is covered by a black mask. The visible skin is slightly darker than the man standing on his right. He wore the typical cloak that Ishiko had a feeling that she'd see a lot. His eyes are what made him very creepy. They had a creepy shade of teal with no pupils. Nothing remarkable there. His whites weren't…. well white. They were red, almost like he had a severe case of bloodshot eyes. She almost shivered at the thought of what would cause that.

That turned her attention to the man standing beside him. He is about average height. He looked to be only a few years older than her and Deidara. He has a lazily look in his rose colored eyes. His silver hair is slicked back away from his face. He wore his cloak open to the chest almost identical to Itachi. The only difference was that Hidan wasn't wearing a shirt. His chest was what she would expect for a well-trained shinobi. His necklace is what catches her eye. It is an upside down triangle that had a circle surrounding it. Behind his shoulder, she could see the handle of a red scythe. She couldn't see much of it since some was hidden by his body. She could tell that there was what appeared to be a rope coming out the end of the scythe. The rope seemed to disappear under his cloak to who knows where. Toward his feet, she could see three deadly curved red blades.

'Wonder why he has three? What's the use in that?' She thought to herself.

"Not interested bitch. So if you don't mind stop eye fucking my body," an average voice says smoothly. Almost like he was use to saying stuff like that.

Everything goes deadly silently. Ishiko's face dusts pink slightly. She didn't think that she had been staring at him that long. Her teal eyes lift look right into the rose colored ones of the silver-haired male. She swallows hard as she sees out of the corner of her eye the other two men staring at her. Embarrassment floods her mind choking out any thought she could have at saving face before her supposed new teammates.

Deidara sighs to hide the fact that he finds some sick enjoyment out of seeing her humiliation in front of the men she'd be spending a good deal of time with.

"Ishiko, this is Kakuzu and Hidan. Kakuzu is the tall one. Hidan is the one with the dumb look on his face," Hidan clenches his fist and opens his mouth to say something, but Deidara continues. "You'll be travelling with guys to track a bounty for the organization." Hidan groans and starts to argue, but his voice is drowned out with a fist connecting with his middle part and Deidara's own voice. "It's somewhere within a temple in the fire country. Kakuzu knows the way. Remember this is a test, so your life depends on its' completion."

By this time, Hidan was gripping his scythe with an almost comical look of anger on his face. He was yelling something about ripping Kakuzu's many hearts out and feeding them to something called Zetsu.

Kakuzu was ignoring Hidan. He was already on his way out. Deidara sighed and pushed her along. Without a second thought, she hurries along behind the larger man. He seemed less dangerous than the fuming male that was following behind her with a string of threats mixed with curses.

* * *

It had been about a week on the road with this duo. She was ready to tear her hair out. It was constant bickering. Usually, Hidan tried to say some insult in a witty way to Kakuzu. Kakuzu, on the other hand, was much older and wiser. Without batting an eyelash, he'd say some remark to set Hidan off.

This would make the younger man start to goad Kakuzu's temper.

It made Kakuzu pissed, and he would attack Hidan. Hidan would continue to goad. Kakuzu would walk away.

At least, Ishiko would have wished that it would have stayed that way.

"Hey bitch, what's Deidara's interest in you? You bed him enough times that he thought maybe you'd be useful?"

His question was answered with a cold teal glare from Ishiko, but she didn't say anything otherwise. This only seemed to encourage him.

"I don't see what he sees in you. Your tiny and look useless. You're not even that attractive. You look like an underdeveloped teenager who wants to be an adult." A grin spreads over his face when he sees her clench her fists in a white knuckled grip. "I bet you can't even fight. What can you do exactly?"

That was it. Not thinking rationally, Ishiko spins and throws a fist at Hidan's face. Her hand is caught in his, and he pulls her toward him. Once she is in favorable distance, he lifts up his leg and kicks her hard in the ribs. He lets go of her wrist.

The force of his kick not only knocked the wind out of her, but it also sent her reeling backwards. Her mind goes numb, and her instincts kick in. She closes her eyes to protect them. She hisses in pain as her back hits the rocky ground. She knew that if it wasn't bruised, it would be scratched up pretty good. She sucks in a breath as she opens her eyes.

Suddenly she wishes she hadn't. A flash of red reminds her that he has a very deadly three bladed scythe. That scythe was currently coming at her right that instant.

* * *

Sorry for the cliff hanger. It just seemed like such a good spot to stop. (: Especially to my husband who was reading over my shoulder. I hope to get the next chapter up soon. (: I don't have much else to do. Hope to hear from you guys! (:

Hope you enjoyed!


	9. Chapter 9 Friend or Foe?

Hey again guys. I got bored and wrote another chapter. I thought it'd be nice since I did kinda leave you guys hanging. I hope I delivered on the fight between Ishiko and Hidan. I was contemplating having them follow their death, but I might hold off on it just a bit longer. I know it goes against the natural timeline, but I want to have her get to know them a bit more. She is going to end up back with Itachi soon so please give it a little more time. (: Anyway, this chapter is a little bit bloody with swearing. I didn't follow the script exactly. I got as close as I could. (: You'll have to tell me what you think! This chapter is fairly long.

Disclaimer: I don't own some of the dialogue, the Naruto characters, some techniques, some jutsus or the places.

Enjoy!

* * *

**Sand In An Hourglass**

**Chapter 9 – Friend or Foe?**

Ishiko grits her teeth as the red blur gets closer. She rolls to one side and keeps rolling as she hears the scythe continually strike the ground. Finally, she has enough. With a vicious twist, she is in a squatting position. Her head is waist level with a grinning Hidan. She does another roll to avoid a wild swing of the scythe. Seeing the opening that had created, Ishiko plants a foot firmly in the front Hidan's knee.

It has the desired effect. His knee hyperextends. He collapses into a lump of cursing flesh.

"You fucking bitch! Just you wait till I get my hands on you! I'll rip you apart! Not even Jashin will take mercy on you!" Hidan snarls as he uses his scythe to help himself to his feet.

By that time, Ishiko was completely on her feet. Each hand is holding a kunai. Her feet are spread apart slightly. Her right foot is leading a little bit. Her knees are bent slightly to lower her center of gravity. She was hoping that would make her a little harder to hit, since she was small anyway. Her eyes are locked on to Hidan's shaking, still cursing form. It was obvious that she was watching his every move. She was looking for a weak spot to hit. She truly was a ninja despite how non-combative she was.

Kakuzu would never admit it, but she looked every bit as deadly as any of the other Akatsuki. She had a cool calm that seemed to take over. The deadly, look that had entered her eyes the moment had she lost her temper with Hidan. That look had faded the moment she realized just how strong Hidan was. At first, Kakuzu had been annoyed and planned to stop the fight before it got out of hand.

After seeing the look in her eyes, he decided he'd wait for her to humble up Hidan a little bit, before he put a stop to the conflict.

Hidan rushed at Ishiko scythe raised and ready to cut her into pieces. Ishiko holds her ground till the last second. With a quick movement, she drops down and swings her foot at Hidan's exposed ankles. Unfortunately for Hidan, he had realized it too late, because he had started to gloat once she didn't move to avoid him. He falls face first into the dirt again. This time is different though. He feels pain lace up his leg. He cries out in pain shamelessly and rolls onto his back reaching down to feel his leg.

Warm wet liquid meets his hand. He sits up with gritted teeth to examine the wound. It's a gash that runs just to the right of his leg along the calf bone. It wasn't deep enough to scar, but it would hurt like a bitch for a couple days. His rose-colored eyes raise to glare murderously into emotionless teal ones.

"What the fuck, bitch? You'd hurt a comrade?" He snarls once again getting to his feet. "I'll fucking kill you! I'm going to curse you, bitch! You'll feel the wraith of Jashin!"

Kakuzu grunts and says, "Hidan, you're the one that started it. You tried to hurt the comrade."

Hidan's face twists into a look of shock and disgust. He turns and flips Kakuzu off before shouting at the top of his lungs.

"What the fuck, Kakuzu? You're supposed to back me up! We are partners! She's not even a member of our organization!"

Kakuzu glares at Hidan for the actions but chose to ignore it. He had noticed movement. She was on the move again, while his stupid partner was arguing with him.

Ishiko wasn't about to let the opportunity pass her up. It was simply too good. Hidan had turned to argue with his partner, and he had also left himself wide open to an attack from her.

She was a rogue after all.

She wasn't above killing another ninja or human being.

And she sure as hell didn't count that….. slob, for lack of a better word, as her comerade.

He deserved what he got. Which was a swift kunai to the thigh followed by one effectively cutting his jugular vein among other vitals at the front of his throat. With a smug look flashing across her face, Ishiko takes a step back to watch him drown in his own blood.

Hidan started to gag. His hand flies up to his throat. He hunches over with a surprised look on his face. The crimson colored liquid starts to slowly seep into the ground, dying the dirt a dirty mixture of brown and crimson.

Something was wrong though. He wasn't falling.

'Wait…. Is he…?' Ishiko's eyes narrow, and she brings her eyebrows together. Her teal eyes search his shaking, but still standing, body. 'Is he….. laughing?'

It all happened so fast; she barely had time to react. His red scythe swung at her, but he and misjudged the distance. He missed her nose by mere inches. Another swing causes her to duck. Strands of her hair must have been cut on that one. She lunges to the left to avoid a strike. She's forced to dive to the ground to avoid a second. With a quick movement, she's back up on her feet.

Another attack, this time she couldn't dodge. Her arms come up to block the sharp edge of the scythe with her kunai. The wickedly sharp scythe is stopped inches from her flesh. She had needed to use chakra to stop the heavy scythe from moving her further. Shoving hard, she pushes the red monster of a weapon away. She jumps back.

Her hands fly into the familiar seals that she had practiced so many times. The air tingles for a moment distracting the bloodthirsty Hidan for a split second. He didn't care what else she was cooking up. She'd feel the pain she had inflicted on him.

Ishiko watches him with a smirk. This jutsu wasn't an ordinary one. She wasn't a fan of direct physical contact. Especially with a male. There was no way in hell she'd win a brute strength contest. What surprised her most was that he was still alive after having his throat cut.

Then it hit her.

'Aw fuck. This is what Deidara or Sasori or whoever was talking about. He's supposedly immortal. I didn't think that was even possible though,' Ishiko thinks to herself. She releases a sigh as the genjutsu starts. She knew what would happen to him. At this moment, she didn't particularly care.

He slides to a stop as a close-eyed Ishiko fades from his sight. He turns around to see Kakuzu there, but she had seemed to disappear.

"Fucking bitch! Get out here and fight! Don't be a pussy!" Hidan yells as he turns in circles looking for any sign of her. He'd never been great at looking for chakra signatures anyway. What was the point when he wouldn't die?

He hears a noise to his right. Almost like a human groan. Funny… He didn't think anyone else was around. He turns to look. There was nothing there.

Another groan to his right. Or was it behind him?

He starts to spin in a circle looking for source. Suddenly everything goes quiet. He can't even hear his own heartbeat or breathing. He thought he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Hidan turns to look.

He about jumps out of his skin and instinctively cuts through the lumbering lump of flesh. The human remains slowly turn to ash before his eyes. He feels something grab him from behind, and Hidan starts to thrash.

"Kakuzu! Help! Please!" He twists the scythe skillfully to cut the one behind him. Two more come on either side of him. He snarls and bends his knees ready to jump. When he lets loose of the muscles in his legs… Nothing happens. In fact, he had a weird feeling in his feet.

In fact, could he even feel his feet at all? His rose-colored eyes drift to his feet. He had a bad feeling about this.

What looked like deformed human hands were wrapped tightly around his ankles and slowly moving up. The problem?

It didn't have a face. It was just like the hands were part of the ground.

"Kakuzu! Where are you, you faggot?" Hidan snaps trying to keep the panic to a minimum.

Kakuzu watches his partner closely. From his staring at nothing to his swinging wildly, Kakuzu could only assume that he was trapped in a genjutsu. Unfortunately, his partner was too stupid to realize it. He sighed. What had started interested was suddenly becoming increasingly boring.

Ishiko didn't think so. She had waited for the right amount of thrashing. Once that had happened, she tosses a kunai with a precise aim. It cuts through cloak and flesh alike.

"Kakuzu, what the fuck are you doing? Where are you?" Hidan screams once again. He was getting more and more frustrated the longer it went on.

Just as Ishiko gets ready to toss another well-aimed kunai, a large hand grabs her wrist bending it savagely. With a cry of pain, her hand releases the weapon. Her angry teal eyes lift up to meet a set of bored creepy eyes. The back of a hand suddenly becomes visible out of the corner of her eye.

She doesn't have time to react.

Kakuzu's hand hits her hard on the cheek. If he hadn't been holding her wrist still, she is sure she would not still be standing on her own two feet. Her defiant teal eyes look up at him. Her face was already red and starting to swell.

Hidan notices that he is suddenly free. He looks around to spot Kakuzu and Ishiko a little ways away. He bristles at the thought that he'd been tricked by some foolish genjutsu. Especially one that a teenage girl had come up with. He starts to stomp toward her and his partner with every intention of murdering her in the most painful way imaginable.

One look from his partner stops him though.

Kakuzu looks back at her. She was glaring at Hidan. He decided to say something.

"No more fighting, you dumbasses." It was a simple sentence. It even sounded threating.

Too bad for Kakuzu. He was stuck with two incredibly stubborn, bull-headed people.

"He fucking started it! I should just cut him into tiny pieces and feed his sorry corpse to the worms!"

"What the fuck did you say, you useless bitch?"

"Oh I'm useless? Ha! I'm not the one who got his ass kicked by a girl! Aren't you supposed to be a big bad criminal?"

"You little bitch! I'll show you the ass kicking of your life!"

"On second thought, not even the worms would eat your rotten ass."

Kakuzu thinks about letting them go at it for a split second. He knows better though. He picks Ishiko up by the throat and holds her off the ground by only a few inches. Panic washes over her mind as she realizes she let her guard down while insulting the immortal Akatsuki member. Hidan sees his chance and lunges only to have a large foot land right between his legs crumbling him into a heap of flesh.

"I said enough. We are behind on our hunt. So unless you two want to deal with me. I suggest we get a move on," Kakuzu says. It was obvious to the two that he meant business. He drops Ishiko and once again starts walking. Hidan and Ishiko share one more glare before the two scramble to their feet. Hidan limps after Kakuzu, while Ishiko follows with confidence.

* * *

"It fucking hurts, Kakuzu! Can't we stop and rest? We've been walking all fucking day!" Hidan whines somewhere behind Ishiko. She wouldn't admit it, but she agreed with him. Her spar with Hidan had left her slightly achy. Not to mention her face hurt.

Wonder why?

Kakuzu continued on without a word. He didn't need to explain to the kids that they were behind on schedule again. Once was enough.

So they continued on like that. Minor arguments between Hidan and Ishiko. Once they threatened to boil over into a physical fight, Kakuzu would intervene.

Oddly, the closer they got to their destination, the more Ishiko seemed to recognize the place. It was almost like she had already been here once.

She had a sickening feeling and wanted to confirm it, but she didn't at the same time. Her pace quickens till she is almost caught up to Kakuzu.

"So, where are we going?" Innocent enough of a question. It packed a punch to her though. Kakuzu didn't seem to notice.

"After a bounty."

She gritted her teeth. She already knew that.

"I see. Does this bounty have a name?"

"Does it matter?"

She tried to quell her rising temper. It was no use attacking someone like Kakuzu. She already knew that he was strong. Her face could easily tell you that.

"Actually it might. If I know a little more about the bounty, I might be able to tell you something regarding him. After all, I know where a lot of black market bounties are running around."

She was hoping that would sound remotely useful to the man.

He doesn't even break his stride or even sound interested at all when he starts to explain it.

"The bounty we are after is within the Fire Countries boarders. He is a warrior monk that goes by the name of Chiriku. He resides in a temple somewhere in the mountains with many other monks. He is our goal. He has a hefty price on his head. Do you know anything else about him?" Kakuzu asks waiting for an answer. He glances to his left only to see her gone.

Ishiko was quite a ways back. Her face is slowly turning white. It was like she seen a ghost. Her mouth is hanging slightly open. The fact was, she looked very funny standing there looking stunned.

'Don't tell me….'

Her mind brings up the image of fat man she had spent years working with. Why hadn't she even thought about it? How the hell did he get enough money to keep them both alive so easily?

It couldn't be.

Hidan didn't even stop as he passed her by. He didn't care what she was doing at that moment.

'I've been working with the Akatsuki all along?'

* * *

"Awww, really? More fucking steps?" Hidan whines. His wounds had healed nicely. A lot faster than Ishiko would have thought possible.

Who was she kidding? This guy was a freak. He once again had a point. They had to have climbed at least 20 stair cases that had no right to be there in the first place.

"Only one more after this," Ishiko says under her breath. Her head is lowered, so she can watch her tired feet to avoid tripping over anything. So, she missed the look Kakuzu cast her way. He pulls out his map and looks it over once more. His eyes scan over the writing.

It clicks in his mind. He doesn't stop to acknowledge it though. The fat bastard had lied to him. He wouldn't get another chance to. The informant had told him he went out on his own to find out the information. Kakuzu didn't want anyone to know who his informants were. That would just lead back to him.

His fists clench wrinkling the piece of paper in his hands. Well, it's not like he'd have much to worry about. Ishiko would become a part of the organization. He'd make sure of it. He could then use her and not have to pay any money out to get the information.

After a couple of hours, they arrive at the gates of a temple. Ishiko looks up at it in disgust. She had hoped to never see it again. Yet look where she was. She faintly hears Hidan complaining that it was a temple.

"Hey guys, how are we going to get in? I mean that's a solid do-" Ishiko starts to say. Kakuzu just walks right up to it. He lifts his hand. Her eyes narrow a little as she watches him carefully. Did he really plan to knock on the door? They sure as hell wouldn't accept someone like Hidan into their midst once they found out how he acted.

Kakuzu surprises her by slamming the fist into solid wooden door. She had caught a glance at his hand for just a split second. His arm looked completely black. But she knew that couldn't be right. He was darker skinned than either her or Hidan. She figured that it must have just been a trick of the shadow cast by the sleeve of his cloak.

A deep rumble draws her attention. Cracks appear where Kakuzu had struck the door. Within seconds, the door had collapsed into giant piles of rubble. Kakuzu leaped into the dust followed closely by Hidan and Ishiko. Of course, Hidan has to open his loud mouth.

"It doesn't look like any of you are willing to convert to the great Jashin religion," he says while lifting his heavy scythe up to rest on his shoulder. Ishiko couldn't help an eye roll.

A bald man looking just like any of the others around him starts down the stairs. He is glaring straight at Ishiko's group. The only way she knew it was Chiriku was the symbol he wore around his waist. She swallows softly. There was way too many to take out with just the three of them. She starts to inch toward Kakuzu to try and talk to him about it.

"You're the Akatsuki are you not?" Chiriku said.

Hidan grunts and glances at his partner. He says without any regard to the monks around him, "Hey it's a sin to kill a priest. It doesn't matter what religion the priest is practicing. If you kill him for the bounty, you'll go to hell for sure. It's not fucking right to kill for money."

Kakuzu grunts and says, "Hidan, you forget."

Cold teal eyes look at his younger partner. His next word sends a shiver through Ishiko's body.

"After all, even hell runs on money. I'd be fine."

Hidan scoffs and looks at the warrior priest, "Fine it's your after-life. Let's just get this over with."

Kakuzu nods. "Make sure he is still recognizable, Hidan."

With those words, Hidan lunges forward at a dead run dragging his scythe behind him. Kakuzu follows shortly after. Ishiko takes a few steps before stopping. Chiriku had made a funny stance. His eyes had drifted closed. He lifts his arms and sets them in a weird design. Just as Hidan got near him, Chiriku's eyes snapped open in a glare that seemed to contort his face. It almost looked like he was in pain.

Hidan is suddenly lifted off the ground followed shortly by Kakuzu. They were thrown around as if some large hands were trying to juggle them. They land with a solid thump on the ground. Neither male seemed to be moving.

"You'll have proper burials," Chiriku says as his face relaxes. His eyes focus on Ishiko. "Come, sister. You will also meet your death. I promise to make it painless and fast."

Ishiko takes a couple of steps back. Her heel touches a large piece of rubble as she reaches for a couple of kunai. There was no way she'd last against this many. Her genjutsu wouldn't cover all of the monks. It would take too much charka.

"As if I'd let some other religion bury me. That's fucking blasphemy. Jashin-sama would surely smite me and send me to hell. He doesn't have to be alive, does he?" It was the voice of an angel. A half hour ago, she would have totally disagreed with the previous statement.

"Just make sure he is still recognizable." Happiness fills her heart at that voice as well.

Hidan slowly stands to his feet. Chiriku's face flashes with confusion before he closes his eyes.

"So be it." Hidan grins. He lets loose a crazy laugh that had to have chilled the blood of the monks surrounding them. Hidan rushes Chiriku once again. Just like before, Chiriku takes his previous stance. Once again, Hidan is sent flying around in the air. He drops to the ground, only to get back up again.

Once he is on his feet, the surrounding monks lunge toward the smaller group. Kakuzu easily dispatches of the first few to reach him.

Ishiko, on the other hand, is frustrated that she got pulled into the conflict. She ducks below the first one. Her kunai viciously finds the soft spot under his chin. With a tug, the kunai comes out bloody. She shoulders her dying opponent backwards into someone else who was coming. She turns around and jumps up into the air to avoid a couple of other monks that had tried to do a joint attack.

Luckily, she had remembered where the wall was. Sticking to it was the easy part. She begins to climb to the top of the complex. She knew the tops of the walls like the back of her hand, since she had spent a couple of months there.

Manic laughter and the cries of pain ring loudly in her ears.

'Why does this crap happen to me? What did I ever do to deserve this kind of treatment?' A glance behind her shows that quite a few men were following her. 'I'll be lucky to survive this fight.'

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Thank you for reading! I hope that it turned out really good! I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can!


	10. Chapter 10 Meeting New People

Hey guys it's been a while huh? I haven't had internet for a while, so this is the only one that I have an update for. I'm hoping to get quite a few chapters for both this one and Fearless. I tried to follow along with the anime. I hope it's entertaining!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the characters/places.

Enjoy!

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**Sand In An Hourglass**

**Chapter 10 – Meeting New People…. Good and Bad.**

Ishiko grits her teeth for what felt like the hundredth time that day. Her chakra was the only thing keeping her standing straight up. The sound of a loud crash drowns out all other sounds for a moment. Her ears were already ringing.

A mixed chorus of groans and people yelling reaches her ears. The three men before her were looking off toward the sound of the noise. Her eyes are also pointed in that direction. A very plain looking building was lying in a heap. Kakuzu was making his way over the top of it chasing someone that she couldn't see past the dust and rubble.

"You won't get away with this!" One of the men before her shouted at her. It was impossible to tell them all apart. His hands were closed into a fist. Ishiko turns her head to look at him. She couldn't help the eyebrow that popped up. She had spent most of the fight running away from them to avoid having to kill them.

"I'm not trying to destroy anything of yours. I'm simply stuck along for the ride. I want nothing to do with this," Ishiko tells the men calmly. She knew her words were falling on deaf ears. She had already tried to tell them that she had been kidnapped.

This time was no different.

The men started toward her.

She turned and run. Gathering chakra she leapt onto a building and started along its' roof. She could hear footsteps behind her. A whistling noise was her only warning, and a deep pain causes her to trip and roll toward the edge of the roof. Ishiko lets out a loud curse and twists grabbing for a hand hold. Her fingers catch the edge of the roof.

'How cliché,' she thinks to herself. She starts to pull herself back up on top of the roof when the men appear over the edge. Ishiko freezes in place. She tries to keep the pain off her face. She isn't sure if it worked or not. Her teal eyes widen when one of the monks lifts up a kunai that she didn't know he had. He kneels down on the edge of the roof and says in a low voice, "We will make sure that you have a proper burial."

Her muscles are screaming from the strain. She shuts her eyes, when she sees him lift the kunai above his head.

Her whole world rocks savagely.

The building she was holding on to started to rock. Luckily, the rocking causes the men to lose their balance.

Unlucky, she lost her grip on the edge of the building. Her body falls limply toward the ground. She was a couple stories up. Her right thigh was in pain, and she was sure there was a piece of metal sticking out of it. There was no way that she would be able to land, let alone put any weight on her leg at all.

She didn't like giving up, but she didn't see any other choice. Something grips the front of her shirt. Her body stops suddenly making her whimper in pain. The pain in her leg was making its' way up into her butt and pelvic area. Her eyes open for a moment. Blackness is around the edge of her vision. All she notices is a hand with black threads coming from it. It looks familiar to her, but she couldn't place it for some reason.

Her eyes close again, and she lets herself slip into the unconscious realm.

* * *

Kakuzu lays her unconscious body on the ground and turns to dispatch a few of the stragglers. A large shuriken was sticking out of her leg. He had knocked down the last building. The monk compound now lies in a pile of rubble. Hidan was finishing off the bounty with his ridiculous jutsu. Kakuzu picks up Ishiko's limp body and carries her over to where Hidan is starting some kind of slow ritual. Normally, Kakuzu would complain about it, but this time he didn't. He was busy making sure Ishiko survived.

She would be useful to him. Less of his, and the Akatsuki's, money would go out to paying informants. He would defiantly talk to the Leader about skipping making her a servant and jumping her to member status minus the ring.

His trained eye looks over the wound. It looked worse than it was. He could easily sew it back up, but she would have problems walking very fast. He gently pulls the weapon from her leg. Her breath sucks in unconsciously, and her muscles tense. That's all she does though.

He puts his hand close to the gaping wound and lets some of his string slip out and sew up the large wound. He figured with his stitches it'd take about a day or two to heal. (1) He hears Hidan yelling something to his 'god', but Kakuzu chooses to ignore the obnoxious behavior.

He glances at her left arm. He figured that he better bandage it up so that it doesn't get infected. He pulls off the bandage slowly wondering if she was wounded below it as well. His eyebrow lifts a little. Her arm wasn't wounded, but he could see why she wore the bandage. It was a cosmetic reason. There was a scar from her elbow to her wrist on the underside of her forearm. It was jagged and looked like it was quite old. It was an ugly scar, even to him.

Regardless, her leg needed bandaged, so he wrapped the bandage around her wound and turned his attention to Hidan.

"Aren't you done yet? We are just falling more behind."

Hidan's head snaps in Kakuzu's direction, "It's your fault that we are behind!"

Kakuzu gives him a nasty look and reaches down to grab Chiriku's limp body. He turns and kicks Ishiko in the ribs hard. Her eyes snap open, and she rolls reaching for her kunai only to wince and look down at her bandaged leg. Her eyes widen slightly, but when she looks up. Kakuzu was already on his way. She slowly gets to her feet. Hidan also makes his way to his feet, wincing from the rod sticking out of his chest where his heart is located. Both give each other a look of disgust and follow after Kakuzu slowly.

Hidan was whining again. His attempts to pick a fight with Ishiko had been failing. She would only grunt and concentrate hard on putting one foot in front of the other. Her leg was killing her, and she was limping pretty good.

Hidan was picking fights with Kakuzu….. Or he was trying to. Kakuzu would only grunt too. It was almost as if something was on his mind.

So for hours they walked quietly. Ishiko glanced up once when she heard the two fighting about carrying the bounty, but she didn't pay close enough attention to what was being said.

It felt like forever when a building came into view. As they got closer, Ishiko realized that it was a bathroom.

'What an odd place for a bathroom.' It was a stray thought that had wandered its' way forward in her mind. What baffled her was when Kakuzu turned course and headed right for the men's bathroom. Hidan stops and makes a face. Ishiko feels a blush rise to her cheeks for a moment before she is able to shake it away. She limps her way toward the female side. Hidan mutters something and follows Kakuzu.

Her nose wrinkles when the strong smell of urine reaches her nose. Her eyes scan over the bathroom with a look of disapproval. It looked like it had been ages since it has seen a mop. In fact, it looked almost as bad as her bedroom. She limps her way over to the sinks and takes a look at her reflection. Her nose wrinkles in disgust.

She was in need of a shower as soon as possible. Her hair was sticking out in different directions. Her face was caked with dirt and dried sweat. Her clothes were dirty and possibly smelled. Her left arm bandage was covered in blood now from her leg. She had pulled a stitch or two open, but her pride wouldn't ask for help. She wasn't even sure on who had stitched her back up.

She hears someone talking outside and sighs. She could only assume Hidan had come out first and was complaining about something. She splashes her face with cold water to wash away some of the loose dirt and makes her way toward the door. She runs a hand through her hair trying to tame it a little. She pushes the door open. Her mouth opens to say something when she stops.

Hidan had two men beside him, each holding a strange looking weapon. The weapons had been run through him. A third man stood before Hidan. All three looked baffled by the fact that he was still alive. Hidan's pink eyes make their way toward her.

"Took you long enough to come out." The three men turned to look at her. She swallows softly and glares at Hidan.

"You just had to pick a fight didn't you?" Ishiko snarls at him. Her attention turns back to the men. Each was wearing Chuunin jackets. The style was obviously Konoha's. Their headbands solidified the fact. One had the same thing around his waist that Chiriku had. She recognized him as Sarutobi Asuma. The other two didn't seem important. A loud crash above her has her scrambling away from falling debris. A fourth Konoha ninja is running from Kakuzu. Asuma is the first to respond. He gets between the two. The fourth one is a young looking ninja. He has his hair pulled back. He couldn't be more than 15 or 16, but he was wearing a Chuunin jacket. Asuma gives an order to pull back.

The Konoha ninja fall back into a group. They are watching the Akatsuki members carefully. Ishiko flinches as she steps closer to Kakuzu and Hidan. One of the first things she notices is the fact that Chiriku's body has been replaced by a suitcase. She made a mental note to ask about it.

"Let me take these assholes on. I didn't get to vent with that last guy," Hidan says as he swings his scythe. The Konoha ninja's are talking among themselves.

"Be careful, Hidan. Or you will end up dead," Kakuzu warns.

Hidan scoffs and laughs when Asuma rushes head long at them.

Ishiko glances at Kakuzu and says softly, "Are you sure that he can handle him on his own? Sure Hidan is strong, but do you know who that is?"

Kakuzu grunts and says, "Sarutobi Asuma. His bounty is bigger than Chiriku's. I know all about him. I think it's time for that stubborn bastard learn some respect." He looks at her out of the corner of his eye. "Don't you agree?"

Ishiko simply nods and turns back to watch.

Hidan was dodging Asuma's powerful attacks while watching out for the moving shadows on the ground. This last fact had surprised Ishiko a little. She had heard that the leaf village had shadow users, but she never thought she would see one.

Hidan's scythe finally catches the side of Asuma's face. He leaps away. Ishiko's eyes narrow. She could have sworn she saw him lick the blood. He makes his way right toward a symbol he had drawn on the ground. It must been done while she was talking to Kakuzu. He hurries into a dust cloud that Asuma had shoved out of his mouth.

It lights up in a fire ball. Ishiko rolls her eyes. She knew his stupidity knew no bounds, but this was pushing it. Her eyes widen when the dust clears away and Hidan is standing there. His skin is a weird black color and a white skeleton appearance has taken over the front and back of his body. What really shocked her was the fact that Asuma had burns on one side of his body.

Hidan releases a loud laugh. Ishiko tries to figure it out as the battle proceeds. Finally, it clicks in her head. She looks back at Kakuzu.

"His jutsu… It is like their bodies are linked….. Right?" Her voice had a hint of uncertainty.

Kakuzu doesn't take his eyes off the fight. "It took you long enough to figure that out."

She glares at him, but she doesn't say anything.

He finally glances at her, "You haven't seen his jutsu yet have you?" When she shakes her head, he continues, "No wonder. He enjoys dealing pain to others and inflicting pain on himself. He calls it a curse or the 'Wrath of Jashin'."

Ishiko looks back to see that he was being forced out of the circle by the shadow kid. She looks back when Kakuzu starts to talk again.

"It's a slow attack. He could instantly kill his opponent, but he doesn't. He drags the battle out."

"Kakuzu! Ishiko! Help!" Hidan shrieks when he sees Asuma limping his way toward him. Somehow, Hidan's ear had been cut open. Ishiko raises an eyebrow and Kakuzu scoffs.

"You told us to stay out of it. You wanted to do it on your own," Kakuzu says in a monotone. "We intend to do so."

"Please! I'm sorry! Help! Pretty please with a cherry on top!" He grimaces when Asuma is only a few feet away. Ishiko suddenly feels a pang of guilt, but she didn't plan on going to help him.

Asuma raises his deadly looking knuckle weapons. With a quick swipe, Hidan's head comes off and rolls away. A look of relief floods over the Konoha group. Ishiko watches his head roll away with a wrinkled nose. There was blood everywhere now.

"You fucking pricks!" Hidan wails. A look of shock comes over the group. "You fucking assholes! You should have helped me! What the hell is this? I thought this was a team!"

Ishiko couldn't help but sneer, "Like I want to be a team with any of you. If you have forgotten, I'm here against my will."

"Fuck off, bitch!" Hidan snarls in response, "Kakuzu, bring my body to me!" A growl from Kakuzu has Hidan using a polite tone of voice, "Pretty please. I need your help, and you are so strong and dependable."

Kakuzu makes his way toward Hidan's head. Ishiko could swear that she saw an eye roll. She makes her way to the stairs and sits down. Kakuzu suddenly, and brutally, beats Asuma to the ground slamming a knee into his back before he finishes making his way to Hidan's head. He grabs Hidan by his hair.

"Ow, ow ow ow ow! What the hell? I said to bring my body, you dumbass! That hurts!" Hidan yells.

Kakuzu grunts and says, "Your head is lighter, besides shouldn't you be complaining about the pain in your neck."

Ishiko chooses to ignore Hidan's protests in favor of watching what Kakuzu does. Her eyes widen when a stitch makes its' way out of Kakuzu's arm. It was almost as if the stitch had a life of its' own. It sews Hidan's head back onto his body. Her hand touches the stitches on her leg. The battle continues on almost as if she had been forgotten.

She struggles to her feet. This would be her last chance. One more try, and she would be free. She limps away toward the forest and easily disappears inside it. The sound of the fight slowly fades away. She releases a breath she hadn't known she had been holding. Her leg was starting to burn again. She didn't dare stop though. She knew she had to put distance between them. Especially since she was having a hard time walking.

Hope filled her chest.

Only to be dashed when a large hand grabs the back of her shirt and stops her. She didn't have to turn around to know who it was.

"I hope you weren't planning on running…." Kakuzu's deep rumbly voice says. A clear and deadly warning laced his voice.

Ishiko doesn't even bother with a response. She just turns when he lets go of her shirt and follows him. She was stuck, and she hated to admit it.

He stopped in a clearing and sat down beside Hidan. Both made a weird hand sign and their bodies relaxed. Ishiko sits down a little ways away and frowns. Her leg was still aching badly. She lets herself fall back and watch the sky. The clouds drift by softly. Her eyes close slowly and before she knows it, she's asleep.

* * *

(1.) I'm not sure about this, but I figured that where he sewed up Deidara and Hidan there might be something in the stitch itself that might accelerate healing. Also, Deidara can use the arm that he sewed back on. Hidan can use his neck even if he is immortal. So I figured that she can walk as long as she was careful.


	11. Chapter 11 Games and Memories

Long time no see huh? I've been so busy lately. Lol, anyway I tried to make this one longer since it's been a while.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or those that are a part of the Naruto Universe.

* * *

**Sand In An Hourglass**

**Chapter 11 – Games and Memories**

Ishiko was more than pissed. She was straight up livid. She had been sitting in or near the small clearing in the trees for days. Her stomach sounded like some sort of dying whale and was sapping more of her strength than she liked. It had been raining hard on and off the entire time. She was completely soaked. Her clothes clung to her skin. She could only hope that she wouldn't come down with a cold. She had only made two mistakes, but they both ended up with her getting some nasty looking bruises from a very irritated ex-waterfall ninja.

On the first day, she had asked them what they were doing. Both males simply ignored her questions. She could only assume they were mediating for something. (1) Ishiko hadn't gotten the message the first couple times she had been simply ignore. She just moved closer to Kakuzu and proceeded to speak louder. Her first mistake was when she had reached out to touch him. In an instant, his hand caught her wrist twisting it painfully while his right leg came out and kicked her hard on the right side of her ribs. With the wind knocked out of her and nursing a wounded wrist, Ishiko had moved as far as possible, before she had heard the warning growl from her current number one enemy.

On the second day, she had woken up from her place nestled on a convenient low lying branch. It had provided some shelter from the bitterly cold rain. It hadn't stopped her from becoming soaked in the night. She had simply watched the two men remain where they were. The hours had slipped by painfully slow. Her leg had stinging from the stitches and sitting in one position for too long. Her stomach had growling pitifully making her abdomen spike with hunger. She had finally decided that it would be worth the risk of getting yet another bruise. She had made her way back to Kakuzu. Her first request was when they were going to be done. When that one was ignored, she asked if she could have something to warm up in, such as one of their cloaks. It hadn't come as a surprise when that request was ignored despite her shivering. Kakuzu had sat there like a stone. Her impatience had gotten the better of her, and she nudged his lower thigh with her foot. She had found herself looking up at the sky flat on her back with pain racing up her spine. The only thing she could do was blink.

This was the third day. Ishiko had found out that her tailbone had taken the brunt of the fall, so it was the one bruised. She had to move carefully due to the bruising of her ribs. She couldn't sit down now. She had spent the night on the cold soggy ground. She couldn't sleep on her right side like she normally would due to her ribs being bruised. Her back was out of the question because of her tail bone.

It was almost night time when she heard the movement. She wasn't sure that she was hearing, so she decided to ignore the sound in favor of an uneasy sleep. Her attempt doesn't last long though. A foot is placed on the bruised portion of her rib cage. Despite no pressure, the pain was unbearable. No ninja training could have helped her suppress the scream that Ishiko involuntarily releases. The foot is pulled away at some point. She isn't sure when since her goal was to curl into as small of a ball as possible whimper. A snicker reaches her ears after her moans die down. Anger builds up blinding the pain with a surge of adrenaline.

She wants so bad to climb to her feet and to beat the laughing immortal to death, but the pain he had caused prevents her from doing so.

"You really did a fucking number on her, Kakuzu!" He practically shouts with glee. He begins to circle around her pleased with the cold, yet pained, glare the young woman is giving him. "Looks like she can barely fucking move!"

He releases another laugh that causes her to grit her teeth to keep from lashing out. Kakuzu doesn't seem to pay any mind to either of the two. He just reaches up his sleeve digging for something. Hidan notices the action and tenses. He wonders if he had pushed a line.

Ishiko notices the movement, so she doesn't dare turn around. She just slowly sits up looking at Hidan. Suddenly, Hidan catches something. A reflection of light puts Ishiko and Hidan's minds at ease. It turned out that it was only Hidan's headband.

"Cover up that scar on your neck. It's pitiful," Kakuzu says from behind Ishiko. She can hear his footsteps moving away from them. She sighs in relief. That is until Kakuzu adds as almost an after-thought,

"Ishiko, get up. You need to get on with your next mission."

Dread fills her chest. She painfully drags herself up and follows after Hidan. She could faintly hear Hidan talking loudly and a few gruff replies from Kakuzu. She was so lost in thought that the conversation got drowned out.

* * *

Ishiko simply stares dumbly at the money in her had. It was more than she was used to getting by selling information that she risked her life for. Kakuzu had simply shoved the money at her and muttered something about him not having time to wait around for the next group to pick her up. He had warned her that there was someone watching her. Her plan of running went out the window almost immediately.

A short while after the immortal pair had left; Ishiko had sat down and counted the money. Afterwards, she had simply sat there staring at it.

The sound of footsteps causes her to quickly fold up the money and stash it away. The last thing she needed was a mere bandit taking her down and stealing her money while she was weak. The sight of black cloaks with red clouds puts her at ease for a brief moment.

_'I wonder when the hell I started to take comfort in the seeing the Akatsuki,' _Ishiko bitterly thinks to herself. _'It couldn't be worse than having to spend almost two weeks with Hidan.'_

She curses her luck when Kisame is the first one to step out of the forest. His large grin does little to ease her anxiety over seeing him again. What made the anxiety even worse was she couldn't see Itachi.

"I see you didn't run," Kisame states with a sadistic grin as he reaches her. His large hand falls on her head ruffling her hair. It sticks out in random directions.

_'Awesome. I'm viewed as some sort of obedient pet now! And to make matters worse I didn't even try to escape!' _Ishiko huffs and glares at the much larger ninja. She runs her hands through her hair trying to tame it back down. She sighs as he gestures for her to follow him. She considers her chances on escape one final time. Her teal eyes roam over the forest, before she sighs and resigns to her fate by follow after Kisame.

* * *

The ex-mist ninja leads her to a small backwater village. Surprisingly, it has a sort of run down hotel. Ishiko couldn't understand how it stayed in business since she was sure not many travelers or ninja went in this direction. She keeps her comments to herself though.

To her surprise, Kisame walks into the rundown hotel and walks down the hallway like he already knew where to go. She hesitates for only a moment, before she releases a sigh and follows after him.

Once the pair makes it to a door, Kisame pauses and reveals that he has a key. It only takes seconds for the ninja to push the now unlocked door wide open. He steps in dropping his sword on the only other bed and disappears into the bathroom.

Ishiko hesitates once again then steps in looking around the room. It was…..dirty for the lack of a better word. There was a clear coat of light dust on almost everything. The window looked like it hadn't been washed in months. It smelled wonderful though, like a home cooked meal after months of bread and water. The thought of food causes her stomach to growl. She sighs softly.

A flicker of movement catches her eye, causing her to look at the bed nearest to the window. She mentally curses when she realizes she had totally missed Itachi laying there with his back to her. The movement was him rolling over just enough to see her out of the corner of his eye. It was a little unnerving to see his eye a black color. The feeling causes her to back up a little. The Uchiha doesn't seem to care as he moves back to his original position. The bathroom door opens effectively pulling her gaze away from Itachi's back, and Kisame exits moving over to the bed. The bed creaks in protest to his weight as he sits at the foot of his bed just below his sword. He turns his feral grin toward Ishiko making her skin crawl.

"You reek, gaki. Perhaps you should look into a shower?" The ex-mist ninja states bluntly with a wide grin. Ishiko feels a bristling feeling running up her spine at the clear insult. The male seems to notice and a grin spreads over his face as he leans forward "Maybe you should give those close to Itachi for his fire jutsu practice. They smell terribly."

To make matters worse, his nose wrinkles up, and he waves a hand in front of his nose. Ishiko gives him a murderous look that doesn't have its' desired effect. Instead of him trembling, he leans over holding his stomach, while he roars with laughter. Ishiko's face becomes the color of a ripe tomato.

"Bastard! Keep your opinions to yourself!" She growls at him as she stomps toward the bathroom, slamming the door, and locking it. His laughter continues to haunt her through the door. She sighs as she avoids looking in the mirror. She simply starts to slowly undress to avoid aggravating the bruise on her spine and on her right rib cage. She crawls into the shower and turns on the hot water.

After the initial sting that comes with hot water, the pleasure takes over. She releases a sigh and closes her eyes just standing there letting the water run over her for a few moments. After a few minutes, she starts her actual shower making sure to really scrub every part of her body. Her nose wrinkles at the color of the water hadn't drained yet. She slowly steps out of the shower and pulls a towel down drying off. She sighs in relief loving the clean feeling she has now.

She steps in front of the foggy mirror and smiles. Her thoughts drift away, and she loses track of time.

*Flashback*

_ "Deidara!" Ishiko yells as she chases after the older boy. He had stolen her homework for the day. "Give it back you're going to get me supplementary classes again!"_

_ He looks over his shoulder grinning at her. He could have gotten away from her easily, but he loved watching her desperately trying to catch him. They both knew he would give it back last minute just to laugh as she scampered to class in a desperate way to not be late._

_ It was always futile though. They would both be late and this time would be no different._

* * *

_ Time flies for the young girl. Before she knows it, she's graduated and placed on a team. She graduates to become a Chuunin. The whole time Deidara is by her side. He r older brother treats her for every graduation she accomplishes._

Memories of the two men run rapidly through her mind. A soft knock on the door causes her to jump coming out of her thoughts. She turns to look at the door listening for the sound. Nothing happens. Ishiko begins to wonder about her mental health, until there is finally another knock after a few minutes.

She moves toward the door and stops. She was only clad in a towel, and she wasn't about to open the door to the two men on the other side. She sighs and leans against the door wondering which one it is on the other side.

"Do you need something?" Her voice is soft and barely audible through the door.

"There are some clothes on the bed for you. I believe they will fit, if not, they'll be a little baggy. I suggest you do what Kisame says and throw your old ones away." Itachi's soft, calm voice drifts through the door. "We will be at a restaurant nearby. After you are finished, you're to come over. We will discuss the mission while there."

Ishiko doesn't reply. The Uchiha only lingers for a moment before she hears him walk away. The room door shuts with a soft click. Ishiko unlocks the door, opens it, and peeks out. Upon finding no one in the room, she proceeds out cautiously.

It doesn't take long for her to notice a black bag sitting on the end of Itachi's bed. Once again, it doesn't take her long to pull out a simple black t-shirt and capri pants with black underwear and a bra. There are some other supplies in the bag such as: a brush, feminine hygiene products, socks, a small coin back that sounded empty, and some bandages. She notices a piece of paper in the bottom. She tilts her head to the side and reaches in picking it up.

_ Ishiko,_

_ Take this stuff as an apology. I'm sure that your mission with Kakuzu and Hidan will be rough. I stuffed some bills into the coin purse to avoid Kisame snooping. I hope that the stuff fits you. It's been a while since I saw you, and we didn't get to spend a lot of time together._

She can't help a roll of her eyes at Deidara's pitiful attempt at an apology. It was kind of sweet in a way though. Her eyes drift to the feminine products. She can't help the smile, wondering how he gotten them. She certainly couldn't imagine him getting them himself. She chuckles and turns her attention back to the letter to finish it up.

_I also wanted to let you know that I have to take care of you, so I got this stuff. You can pay me back later. I have the amount written down. I also bought some things for your room as well as some cleaning chemicals. You can start when you get back. That place is disgusting. Try and keep it clean from now on. I want you to try and keep it in your pants and not chase after that damnable Uchiha. If you do, you'll regret it._

_ -Deidara_

The only thing she is capable of doing is to stare at the last half of the note. She couldn't believe that, in only a couple of lines, the note had gone from a sweet, thoughtless gesture to something that could only be viewed as rude and immature. Anger boils up to the surface, and she crumbles the letter in her fist.

Oh, how she hated that man! She wished he'd screw up that ridiculous jutsu of his and blow himself up. She turns finding a garbage can and throws the letter into without a second glance before she carefully pulls her clothes on. She is proud that she only releases a few whimpers in the process and sits down hissing in pain due to her bruise. She pulls out the bandages and wraps up the visible part of her calves, than she bandages up her left arm to hide the jagged scar that was a painful reminder everyday of what she had lost.

She runs the brush through her hair, while she walks back into the bathroom grabbing her sandals and pulling them on. It was time to go search for the two Akatsuki members.

* * *

It hadn't taken her long to find the restaurant that Itachi had spoken of. It was the only one in the village. It was in a lot better shape than the inn they were staying in. Kisame was already eating when she makes it there. She sits down to Itachi's left across from Kisame. There was already a plate of food in front of her. She raises an eyebrow, and Kisame grins.

"You need the strength, cause I sure as hell ain't risking my hide to save your puny, sorry ass." He scoffs before he continues his meal. Ishiko didn't know how one person could be so infuriating.

"I'm surprised the food made it this long. I'd expect it to have disappeared down into your glutinous gut," Ishiko sneers at him. Kisame doesn't seem affect by this. Only pauses between another bite with a grin. Apparently, her intended insult was lost on its' target. Or he simply didn't care.

It was more than likely the latter of the two. She shakes her head. She turns her attention back to her plate. It was a cheap and simple meal. It consisted of corn, mashed potatoes with chicken gravy, and baked chicken. Her stomach growls loudly, however she refused to look like a starved dog. She painstakingly takes her time starting with the potatoes. Itachi's plate is already clean, so she has no idea what he had.

"Ishiko, do you know of this man?" Itachi says, his voice barely audible over the hum of conversation around them. Ishiko swallows the food in her mouth and reaches for a picture he produces. It has an attractive man around Ishiko and Itachi's ages. He had a grin on his face that only accented his features. His face was almost feminine with the soft curves of it. His hair was a deep blue that could have been black in some lights. His eyes are a bright, energetic blue color.

The most shocking thing was that he was wearing a Rock Village headband. Her eyes trace over the symbol longingly. She hands the picture back and shakes her head. "No, I'm afraid I don't remember him at all. He was probably in the class before me. Did you ask Deidara?"

Kisame snorts obnoxiously, drawing Ishiko's attention to him.

"Of course you don't. He's a few years older than you, even if he's a few years older than you. He has been assisting another that you might now, if we are to believe Deidara anyway," Kisame states taking a drink from a cup that she suspects to be a sake cup. A quick glance around the table reveals that her suspicion is right.

"Here is the other picture." Itachi's voice draws her gaze back to him before it flickers down to the face down picture. She reaches forward grabbing it. She turns it over, and her heart sinks.

In the picture, there is a man two years older than her. He has short spikey brown hair. He is looking right at whoever was taking the picture with a half smirk on his face making him even more attractive. His warm mud colored gaze seems to see her through the picture. He wears a Rock Village headband on his forehead proudly.

"Kaemon," Ishiko whispers her hand starting to shake. She couldn't believe who she was looking at. She knew it was her old teammate. She could still see parts of that young boy in his face, though it was much more mature now. She releases a breath she hadn't even noticed that she had been holding. Her eyes lift to meet Itachi's red gaze. "What are we supposed to do?"

He is silent for a moment as he seems to gauge her reaction. He finally says softly, "We are to kill them. They are getting too close to finding out what our plans are. They have been close to several of our safe houses."

Dread fills her chest and she turns to look back at the picture. She sets it down, so she can put her hands between her knees to try and hide the shaking. Her appetite completely disappears. Kisame watches the woman, then he grunts and chuckles.

"I told you to wait till she finishes her meal. Now you've wasted your money." Itachi's emotionless gaze causes Kisame to stop talking altogether and just focus on his own meal. Itachi turns his attention back to Ishiko, who was now staring at her plate clearly avoiding looking at the picture.

Ishiko looks up when her plate disappears and is replaced by a cup. Kisame grins at her setting the plate aside. Two bottles of sake is sitting in the middle of the table now. She feels suspicion rise as she watches him pour three cups shoving it toward the two younger ninja. His grin once again sends chills down her spine.

"Kisame," Itachi's voice comes from her right clearly warning the man against something. Kisame shrugs it off.

"Why not let loose? It's not like anyone here will turn us in. They harbor rogues here, Itachi." He chuckles. "Besides we aren't going anywhere for a week or two, while Zetsu gathers information on our targets."

"I'm underage," Ishiko states while she stares at her cup with a wrinkled nose. Kisame roars with laughter.

"Gaki, you're a rogue! Who cares what laws you break now?!" He practically shouts, drawing all the attention in the restaurant. Ishiko shrinks a little in her chair not liking the attention. Kisame grins that bone chilling, sadistic grin. "Besides you're what 20?"

"17," Ishiko states coldly, pushing the cup back toward Kisame.

"Close enough." He pushes it back to her with a chuckle. "Are you too afraid to drink with us?"

She glances at Itachi, who is simply staring at his cup. His face is unreadable. Kisame's laughter draws her attention back to him. She wasn't about to drink with Kisame for some silly pride issue. She leans back in her chair and crosses her arms just under her breasts.

"No." Kisame's grin falters, and he raises an eyebrow at her. She decides to elaborate. "I'm not going to drink with you. I'm not going to prove some foolish pride thing to you."

Dread fills her belly as she watches him. His face had a look that was best described as a predator going in for the kill.

"You don't have any pride as a woman, huh?" He leans forward. His voice had become lower almost a growl. "You know something? I wasn't attacking your pride. I think you're nothing more than a coward and drinking with us won't change that. You will drink with us, or you will regret it. Just think of this way. You can't out run me, and I am much larger than you. I can tear you apart without breaking a sweat, little kunoichi."

A shiver of fear runs up her spine. She knew that what he said was true. She simply stares at him thinking over her options. Her side and back were killing her with a constant thob accompanied with sharp pains shooting in various directions of her abdomen, legs and back. The alcohol might numb that some. Or make her not care anymore. She would also avoid bodily harm from the man that was supposed to be a comrade. On the other hand, alcohol would inhibit her judgment. It may cause her tongue to loosen, and she may reveal something that could potentially be used against her. She hadn't ever really drank before, so she knew her tolerance was probably painfully low.

There really wasn't much of an option.

She reluctantly lifts the cup to her lips for the first time that night.

Unfortunately, it wasn't for the last.

* * *

Kisame laughs loudly roughly her hair. She pouts at him and straightens her hair.

"I can't believe you used to be friends with that little punk Deidara!" He roars laughing. Ishiko rolls her eyes.

"He wasn't that bad back in the day. Really cute. He could have had any girl he would want." She giggles uncontrollably. "Especially when he pouts! His personality could use some fixing up."

She sways a little. She had lost count of how many cups of the bitter sake she had drank. At some point in the night, Kisame and she had gotten into a drinking game. It consisted of who could drink the most cups within a minute.

He had won.

She was pissed and thrown a cup at him though missed terribly. It had instead hit a man sitting behind Kisame, which had kicked off memories that they both shared without a care in the world. Itachi had remained silent the whole time. Kisame had managed to get two cups into him, before he had given up and decided to just enjoy Ishiko's company.

Her head spins, and she tries to stand up. The world tilts making her lean heavily to one side to keep her balance. She would have collided with the table next to the group if Itachi's hand hadn't closed around her wrist pulling her back toward their table. She laughs as her body collides with the table knocking some things to the floor. Kisame rolls his eyes and stands up swaying himself.

"Itachi, we should probably take her back to the inn before she destroys the restaurant," Kisame says.

Itachi glances at him, and Kisame nods. Ishiko feels two strong arms scoop her up making her gasp. She looks around seeing Itachi standing in front of her. She looks up at Kisame, who looked half asleep.

It doesn't take the two ninja long to make it back to their room. Ishiko was out cold by the time they get there, snoring softly. Kisame dumps her on the couch, not to taking to care to see if she actually stays.

She doesn't. She ends up in a heap on the floor, though that doesn't disturb her slumber.

He doesn't care. He just moves his sword and collapses onto his own bed. He knew Itachi would stay awake. He's snoring within moments.

* * *

He gently picks Ishiko off the floor. She stirs slightly muttering in her sleep. Itachi stares down at her thoughtfully. She was spunky, when she wanted to be. He could tell she feared Kisame, which he thought was wise.

It was just hard to believe that she knew Deidara. Guilt rises up in his stomach leaving him feeling cold. He knew she didn't want to be there. He remembered the sad look on her face when Kisame had started to talk about his home village and his experiences there. He could tell she truly loved her village. A mistake had been made, and she had been cast out.

He felt a strange connection with her. He turns his back to her and pulls off his cloak. He didn't have time to feel guilt over something he had no control of. He stretches out on his bed.

He already had his future planned out.

He didn't have time to help someone else out.

With that last thought, He closes his eyes allowing himself to slip into a light slumber.

* * *

(1). The Akatsuki is a secretive group. The likelihood of them revealing their plans to a servant is unlikely.

Thanks for reading!

Once again, I'm sorry that I'm such a slow updater and thank you to those of you who stay with me for so long (: I got to chatting with my best friend. She's the reason this one is out and so long. I hope that you enjoyed reading it!


	12. Chapter 12 Childish Behavior New Mission

It's been a while hasn't it? I'm so slow at updating... I'm not entirely sure I like this chapter :/ Let me know what you guys think! (: Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto characters or places

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**Chapter 12 –**

"Is this her?!"

Ishiko twitches in her sleep at the obnoxious, unfamiliar voice. It sounded like a child had gotten into the room. The sheer volume makes her head throb painfully, and her stomach twists in an uncomfortable manner.

"Yes."

A lower voice answers. The second voice sounds vaguely familiar, yet she can't place it. Her whole body tenses as her head throbs yet again. Why couldn't she remember where she was? What happened last night? She hears the conversation continue. Every word sends a painful stab through her head. The twisting in her stomach is getting worse and worse with each throb of her head. In an effort to ease the tension, she rolls over.

Wrong move.

She meets the floor with an ungraceful thud. Pain rips up her side and back as her bruises remind her that they are still there. Her head gives another throb making her feel suddenly nauseous. Her teal eyes flutter open slowly afraid of what she'll see.

Orange fills her vision causing her to recoil back toward the couch. She slowly sits up, eyes never once leaving the orange mask. It bobs in an obnoxious manner before the screeching voice cries out.

"She's awake!"

Ishiko flinches at the sound closing her eyes and grabbing her head. There is a thud followed by a cry of pain. She slowly opens one eye to find Kisame standing before her staring murderously down at the orange masked man. His foot is planted directly in the back of the struggling man, who was at this point making obnoxious whining noises.

"Tobi, shut the fuck up," Kisame growls dangerously. "And what the fuck are you doing here anyway?"

Tobi stops making noises, though he doesn't stop wiggling. Ishiko slowly lowers her hands glancing at Itachi, who was silently sitting on the bed eyes closed. It seemed he was mediating….

Or he was an expert at ignoring his partner's temper.

Ishiko then remembers what possibly ignited Kisame's temper. He probably had a hang over.

"I just came to tell you that Deidara-san and Sasori-san are on their way!" Tobi screams loudly earning a growl from Kisame who puts more pressure on the poor man's back. Ishiko flinches hard at the sheer volume that the man can reach. She wouldn't be surprised if half the hotel heard his yelling.

"I swear to fu-"

"Kisame," Itachi's soft voice cuts Kisame's threat off. "Let him up."

Kisame hesitates for a moment as if deciding if it was worth disobeying Itachi and just crushing Tobi then and there. After the brief pause, he snarls and removes his foot from Tobi's back and storms out of the room slamming the door. A brief pause of silence is followed by Kisame's loud cursing and footsteps leading away.

Itachi finally opens his eyes watching Tobi intently before saying softly, "Tobi, you would do well to keep your voice down while around Kisame."

Tobi leaps up rubbing the back of his head with a chuckle. "Noted Itachi-san!"

Ishiko could hear the smile in his voice. She shivers while watching the masked man. Something seemed….off about him, but she couldn't place it. She just felt that he was hiding something behind a façade.

Now that she could focus somewhat, she noticed that Tobi was dressed in all black. There was no visible headband to signify what village he was from. He had black hair sticking out of the top of his mask in a spiked up manner. He wasn't wearing the same cloak as Itachi and Kisame causing her to idly wonder if he was in the same boat as she was. The thought passes quickly though when she notices how he interacts with Itachi in a casual manner.

She squinted a little trying to see into the small eyehole in the mask. It just looked like a black abyss. She silently wondered if there was even an eye at all. She decided there had to be since it would be pointless to even have the hole if there wasn't an eye to see out of it.

"…ko-san?"

She blinks realizing that both men were staring at her. She had totally spaced out staring at Tobi. Maybe she was getting rusty? Her mind scrambles backward as she tries to remember what it was that was said. Her eyes drift from Tobi's eye hole to Itachi's red impassive gaze. She clenches her jaw as her whole body tenses up.

"I don't think she was listening, Itachi-san," Tobi says loudly. Ishiko flinches and touches the spot right between her eyes clenching her eyes shut.

"Tobi, please refrain from yelling," Itachi says so soft that she can barely hear it. She hears movement making her look up quickly. She instantly regrets it since the room spins slightly. She closes her eyes and fights a bout of nausea. She jumps when she feels a hand reach underneath her arm, grabs her elbow and jerks her up. Her eyes fly open as she looks at Itachi swaying and almost collapsing again. It felt like she had the flu. Itachi's hand had remained on her elbow and therefore kept her balance for her.

"Thank you for informing us of their arrival, Tobi. You are dismissed."

Tobi seems to disappear into thin air. It's silent for a moment before Ishiko feels a tug and absently follows along. Itachi leads her out of the small hotel room to the restaurant they had visited last night. He's immune to every flinch and hiss of pain coming from the younger girl.

Kisame nods to Itachi when the two arrive. Ishiko flops down with a groan. Kisame doesn't bother to repress the sadistic grin from spreading over her face. Ishiko wonders if he ever bothers hiding anything.

Probably not.

"What did Tobi want?" Kisame asks casually taking a drink of some coffee. Ishiko seethes quietly inside as she notices Kisame doesn't seem to be suffering from a hangover.

"Deidara and Sasori will be joining us before the week is out. I was informed that by the time they arrive we will have enough information on our targets to proceed," Itachi replies. A waitress appears only to be waved away by Itachi.

Kisame frowns at the thought, "Do we really need the extra help? Two of us should be enough. Or is there more than meets the eye?"

Itachi hesitates glancing toward Ishiko, who was lazily watching the two of them. Kisame seems to get the point and grins at Ishiko shifting the conversation's flow.

"So, gaki, how's the head feeling this morning?"

Ishiko's teal eyes narrow murderously. As much as she wanted to snap at him, she knew it wouldn't be wise. She didn't want to admit how much pain she was in to the man either. Ishiko lifts her chin giving Kisame an arrogant look before stating confidently, "It's fine."

Wrong answer.

Kisame's grin widens gaining an evil look. Itachi closes his eyes seeming to know what was about to happen. Ishiko slowly loses the arrogant look as her eyes flick over to Itachi and back to Kisame. Kisame chuckles low in the back of his throat.

"Is that right?"

That's the only warning she gets.

Sadly, she didn't quite understand the underlying threat in his tone.

"Yeah," she says defiantly. His chuckle grows louder as he lifts his hand up in the air. For a brief moment, Ishiko thinks that he's going to strike her. She flinches a little only to discover that his hand wasn't close enough to strike her. She starts to relax when it happens.

He slams his hand down onto the table hard. The loud noise of the table shifting is accented when his cup of coffee bounces slightly and tips over. The hot liquid rushes across the table though none of them are paying attention to it.

Itachi is sitting there quietly eyes closed waiting for the racket to die down. Ishiko is clenching her head in pain shaking hard. She pales a little since it's dragged on by Kisame's loud laughter. The sick feeling settles in her stomach with no clear sign of leaving anytime soon.

Finally after what felt like hours, Kisame quieted down. The table had been cleaned at some point and new coffee had been poured for Kisame. Ishiko glances up to see some pain killers sitting on a napkin with water directly in front of her. Unsure of who had given them to her, she avoids the medicine and just drinks the water.

This was going to be a long week.

* * *

The week had indeed dragged on. After the first day of leisure, Kisame had gotten predictably bored and dragged Ishiko along with him to "train". His training methods were almost always brutal. Ishiko spent more time running away from his high powered attacks consisting of water or Samehada. She had only managed to land a couple hits on him, which he laughed off. Luckily for her, Itachi always managed to materialize before Kisame could shred her. However, it never stopped him from sapping all her chakra with his sword though. It also didn't seem to matter if she tried to hide from the shark-like man. He had a knack for finding her.

Despite the sore muscles and wounds, Ishiko was beginning to enjoy her time with the shark-like man. Kisame proved to be fun to joke around with. He had a good natured personality when he wasn't irritated. She had easily found what lines could be crossed and what lines couldn't be.

The nights were more relaxing than the days. Itachi had always managed to save her from Kisame before she got worse than scrapes, bruises, and sore muscles. The two would return to the inn and either meditated in the room or on the roof. The silence was always nice after spending the day running from Kisame. Kisame never seemed to appear until he was hungry to which the three would have dinner.

Kisame always tried to get the two of them to drink. Itachi would only drink a shot or two. Ishiko managed to escape all but twice.

Her head was pounding hard when she woke up, since last night was the second time she had drank with Kisame. The room was empty, which surprised her. Glancing at the window, she noticed that the sun was up. Uneasiness set in, Kisame always dragged her half asleep out to train at around dawn. He complete wakes her up by soaking her to the bone with cold river water before he launches into an attack.

Ishiko slowly stands up looking around the room. Upon further inspection, she finds a bottle of pain killers with a bottle of water and a note on the nightstand beside Itachi's bed. She slowly wanders over to pick up the note.

_We went to meet our comrades at the edge of the village. Take the medicine and money in the drawer and get us a table at the restaurant._

Ishiko stares at it for a moment. Panic rushes throughout her. Now was her chance! Now she could escape from them! An icy feeling settles in her lower stomach.

Did she really want to leave?

She swallows hard and closes her eyes as the possibilities rush through her brain. She could escape, but where would she go? It may seem like she was alone, but hadn't she once been told that she was never truly alone. If Itachi had meant Deidara and Sasori as comrades, she wouldn't be able to get far enough away. Deidara was a long distance fighter and had a scope. He'd just cruise over the area and find her and drag her back. She'd lose everyone's trust at that point. Did she care if she did though?

Releasing a sigh, Ishiko slowly opens her eyes. She may not care about the trust, but she did care about her well-being. Kisame wouldn't take lightly to having to chase her down, even if he enjoyed the hunt. Deidara would most likely be livid at her trying to escape.

Finally coming to a decision, Ishiko retrieves the money, takes the medicine, and heads to the restaurant in a sour mood. She finds a fairly large table and sits down to wait.

"It's not like I have anywhere to return to. Or anyone who is missing me," She grumbles under her breath tracing imaginary circles across the table top. "They'd hunt me down and kill me before I got far. I'm sure they have spies everywhere. I couldn't hide from them."

"You're right you can't, hm," A playful voice breathes into her ear. Ishiko leaps up, completely startled, misjudging the distance of the person standing directly behind her. Her shoulder collides with something hard, which in turn cries out startling her even more. Sadly, her chair doesn't fall backward and out of the way like it should. It's blocked by something behind her. The combination of hitting something with her shoulder and her chairs knocking into her legs causes Ishiko to lose her balance. Someone kicks the chair away and tries to catch her, though they are apparently just as clumsy as she is…. Or maybe it's because they only had the use of one hand. Both crumble to the floor. This all takes place in the span of a few seconds. The silence afterwards seems to stretch on for an eternity.

It's broken by a combination of roaring laughter and the lump yelling.

"What the fuck, Ishiko, hm?! What kind of ninja trips over a chair, hm?! Who doesn't realize someone sneaking up behind them, hm?!" Ishiko is violently shoved off the screaming mass that she now identifies as Deidara. Deidara's nose is bleeding and possibly his mouth since it looked like he may have bitten his lip when her shoulder collided with his face. She registers a dull ache in her shoulder. Kisame is almost bent in half since he is laughing so hard. Sasori hasn't even taken his hat off yet, so she can't even see his reaction. Itachi is simply watching impassively.

An open hand collides with the back of her head pitching her forward. She barely manages to stop herself from faceplanting it into the floor. She sends a cold glare at Deidara who is keen on returning the favor.

"Deidara, go clean your face up. You're bleeding everywhere," Sasori's gravelly voice breaks the silence between the two. Deidara turn a cold, blue eye on Sasori before he huffs and stands up disappearing into the restroom.

Ishiko's face begins to heat up as she retrieves her chair. She could feel Itachi and Sasori staring at her. Kisame was too busy wiping tears from his eyes and trying to catch her breath. Sasori is the first to speak after everyone present sits down.

"Deidara had a point. It was easy for him to sneak up on you. Should we have been aiming to kill you, you wouldn't have stood a chance."

_Would I stand a chance against any of you anyway?_

Itachi seems to take a turn. "You chose correctly. Should you have tried to escape, Deidara would have been sent to kill you."

_How ironic that the man sent to force me to join would be the one to kill me._

Ishiko's gaze falls to the table as she sits quietly. She can still tell someone is staring at her, but she isn't sure which one it is. Deidara returns to the table and strikes a conversation with Kisame, childishly ignoring Ishiko's presence since she had harmed his pride. Finally, the conversation takes a turn for the worse in her opinion.

"Has Zetsu given you any information on the targets whereabouts, hm?" Deidara asks while digging into the food he had ordered. Itachi nods.

"He woke us last night to give us the coordinates to both you and our target. It appears that there multiple subjects between the target and us. Zetsu estimated about 20 people," Itachi says. Ishiko was sure it was the most she had ever heard him speak. Kisame leans back with a shrug.

"Shouldn't be too much of an issue with 4 of us," Kisame says with a cocky grin. "Maybe we can let loose a little, eh Sasori?"

No sound comes from the puppet master other than a grunt. Ishiko wasn't sure it was to agree or decline. Kisame seemed to believe it was in agreement, because his grin appeared. Ishiko glances at them all then realizes something.

"What am I supposed to do? Surely you don't need me on this one," Ishiko says looking from one face to another. None of them reveal anything other than a poker face. Dread sets in as she shuffles through possibilities of what she could be there for. Her eyes flick to Deidara's face. Anger wells up inside her when he carefully avoids her gaze. "I'm bait, aren't I?"

Itachi nods. Ishiko's eyes move from Deidara to Itachi at the slight movement then back to Deidara, who was staring at her intently now gauging her reaction. Ishiko is unable to contain the anger. She slams her hands down on the table attracting the attention of the few other customers at this early hour.

"You son of a bitch! How dare you?! What gives you the right to dictate my life?! People playing bait never live! You are such an inconsiderate prick! Always have been always will be!" With that said, she turns and leaves quickly. The four men just watch her go silently. Deidara's own rage wells up, and he stands to follow after her.

"Deidara, leave her be," Itachi says closing his eyes. Deidara growls at him in a very animalistic manner.

"Mind your own business, asshole. I'm just checking she hasn't run off, hm."

"Don't trust her, Deidara? Or is there more to it than that?" Kisame teases with a grin. Deidara's anger increases slightly at the taunt. Before he can speak, Sasori interrupts.

"She'll just go back to the inn she's been sharing with Itachi and Kisame. She has yet to run away. I doubt she'll start after arguing with you."

Deidara clenches his fists as he processes the information and turns on Itachi. "You've been sharing a room with her, hm?! She's my subordinate not your plaything, Uchiha!"

Itachi seems entirely unfazed by Deidara's obvious anger. This seems to only provoke Deidara further as he slams a hand down on the table and leans over it so he's right in Itachi's face. "If you touch her, or have touched her, you will regret it, hm. She belongs to me since she joined, hm. She's not comunial property, understand? She's mine, hm! I will kill you if you touch what is mine, hm!"

Kisame stands up watching Deidara intently. "Enough, Deidara. She sleeps on the couch; we each have a bed. There is no need for threats."

Deidara's blue eye focuses on Kisame for a moment before he scoffs and leaves as well. Sasori chuckles coldly.

"Itachi, I would watch your back with that one. He seems intent to protect his little….. Friend from the past." Itachi glances in Sasori's direction then back at the door. Kisame is also watching the door. Sasori continues as soft as he can "Perhaps one of us should go check on the two of them. We all know Deidara's temper. It wouldn't do to have him blow up yet another in."

Its silent for a moment before Itachi stands and seems to disappear from their view in seconds. Kisame can't stop the chuckle from rising up his throat. "Well this is bound to become a very interesting mission."

Sasori silently agrees.

* * *

"Fuck off, Deidara!" Ishiko yells through the bathroom door. The pounding resumes along with Deidara's annoyed voice.

"Ishiko, open this damn door before I just blow the fucking thing up, hm!" Deidara demands from outside it. She hadn't been quick enough to lock him out of the room, but she had managed to kick him between the legs before he could grab her and escape into the bathroom. For the last five minutes, Deidara has tried everything to coax her out from being rude to straight up threatening her.

"Perhaps if you asked her kindly, she'd leave the bathroom and not attack you again," A soft voice says from the other side of the door. Ishiko tenses up as she recognizes Itachi's voice. It's silent for a moment before she has to strain her ears to hear Deidara's next phrase.

"Back the fuck off, Uchiha. I'm not interested in what you have to say, hm. She will do as she is told by me, hm." After that initial threat, their voices drop to a low hum that she can't hear even when she tried. A span of ten minutes drifts by with her curiosity growing by the moment. Just as she's about to open the door, she hears movement on the other side. Her hand freezes just above the door handle listening for any other noise. There is a soft knock on the door.

"Ishiko, please remove yourself from the restroom," Itachi's voice filters through the door. She hears a grumble from Deidara, but she can't quite make out the words.

"Kindness goes a long way, Deidara. I have told you this before." Kisame was here as well. Ishiko assumed that Sasori was as well.

"Shut up, Kisame-danna! It's not your business, hm!"

There is yet another knock on the door. Ishiko shakes her head and backs away from the door. Ishiko closes her eyes listening to yet another argument between Deidara and another member. Itachi seems to intervene at the right moment. She isn't paying close attention to what is said between the men. She hears what sounds like a fight then the slamming of the inn door.

Then everything becomes quiet. Ishiko presses her ear to the door listening for any noise. It's quiet for a few seconds.

"Ishiko, Sasori and I still need to discuss the mission with you. Please remove yourself from the restroom," Itachi says through the door once again.

"Or we will break it down and drag you out," Sasori states the threat that had been left unsaid by Itachi. Impatience coloring Sasori's gruff tone. Ishiko closes her eyes thinking for a moment before she slowly unlocks the door and opens it a crack placing her foot just behind the door in an effort for it to not be opened further. Her teal eyes meet Itachi's cold red ones. She couldn't see Sasori since Itachi was standing directly in front of the door. She certainly hears Sasori though, "I said get out or we will drag you out."

Itachi doesn't move at all as she slowly moves her foot and opens it a bit further. His cold red gaze causes her to shiver and look down at the ground. Finally, Itachi steps aside so she can slip past him and Sasori and sit on the couch. No one moves for a couple of minutes making Ishiko feel embarrassment bubble up. She had acted immature in front of the two criminals. Why did Deidara always bring out the worst in her?

_*Flashback*_

_Tomorrow was supposed to be her first mission as a genin. She was still having trouble adjusting to her new team, since they didn't seem to like her very much. Her hands were shaking as she stared up at the stars. She was sitting on the roof of her house just above the open window to her room._

_ A noise alerts her to the arrival of her friend. Glancing back, she frowns at Deidara. He was wearing a smug look on his face as he flops down next to her and lays back._

_ "Shhh! If you make much more noise, you'll wake my father!" Ishiko hisses at him peeking over the edge of the house. Deidara huffs and rolls his eyes._

_ "Oh come on! The old timer probably sleeps like a rock!" Deidara states with a smug grin. This only earns him another frown from Ishiko. She looks back up at the sky. A short span goes by before Deidara decides to speak again. "How's the team?"_

_ A blush sneaks up on Ishiko's face as she thinks back on her team._

_ "Well, I'm sure you remember Taro and Kaemon? Well, they are on my team?" She can feel Deidara's eyes on her face. She hears him grunt and snap._

_ "Why are you blushing?" Ishiko glares at him coldly for a moment before turning to look up at the sky._

_ "Well…" The blush deepens as she thinks back on Kaemon. Even if he didn't give her the time of day, she still felt a strange flutter in her chest. "Well, I suppose I'm just excited to be on Kaemon's team. Even if I have to deal with Taro and his taunts."_

_ She totally misses Deidara tensing up. He had never gotten along with either boy. He also didn't like the fact that she was putting herself out there so easily. He grits his teeth and sits up to look at her coldly._

_ "Don't even think about it. They won't go for someone like you anyway. Besides, you should focus on your training not some silly relationship. Shinobi has no need for feelings or relationships. They'll only get you killed." He closes his eyes after his mini speech._

_ Ishiko can only stare at him. Pain blossoms throughout her chest. No one would go for her? Just because she's a ninja means she can't even have a simple crush? Anger replaces the pain._

_ "What do you know? You're just some stupid little boy who thinks he knows everything about the shinobi world!" She stands up trying to tower over him, though he's clearly not intimated. "You're just being jealous!"_

"_Jealous? Jealous of what? It's not like I'd ever want to be with you. That's disgusting!" Deidara snaps glaring up at her. Tears blur her vision. She grits her teeth and clenches her fists._

_ "You're nothing but a big meany!" She snaps at him childishly and aims a kick at his side, which he apparently didn't see coming since she managed to connect with his ribs. She rushes back down into her room slamming the window shut without looking back at Deidara._

_*Flashback End*_

"Ishiko?"

Itachi's voice snaps her out of her thoughts. She looks up at him. Sasori makes a soft growling noise and a scrapping noise. A large, metal scorpion tail appears from under his cloak.

"Pay attention, bitch. We don't have time for your daydreaming," Sasori snaps. His tail moves closer to her. She can see the poison dripping off the end of it before the bitter smell assaults her nose. Panic spreads across her chest, and she looks up at Itachi. He just stares at her impassively.

"Your mission is to be captured by Kaemon. You will then wait for a chance to kill him along with the other man." He pauses for a moment at the flinch before he continues as if he had never seen anything. "He will recognize you, and he may go easier on you than he would Deidara. If you cannot kill him, you will need to escape to an isolated location."

He holds out three small scrolls. Ishiko slowly reaches out to grab them. She carefully opens one of them noticing the marks for a summoning jutsu. She glances up at him curiously.

"Two of them are a signal to us that things did not go according to plan. We will try to retrieve you should the mission allow it. The last one is a one-time offensive attack," Itachi pauses for a moment before closing his eyes making Ishiko nervously look at the two remaining scrolls.

"It's an explosive of his that's on a timer. Once free, it will blow up after a set amount of time," Sasori states coldly shifting a little making a clacking noise. "That's all we know. He said it's a surprise."

Ishiko's eyes narrow. She didn't like the sound of that at all. Knowing Deidara, it would be suicide to open it up. Her eyes move from the scroll back up to Itachi then to Sasori.

"So, how will we know where he is? How will he be able to find me?"

Sasori scoffs and snaps, "That is easy. You poke around near their base. They are sure to come out to investigate you."

Ishiko looks down at the scrolls again closing her eyes. She had seen the headband on Kaemon's head. It pained her to think she would be going against her village by taking out one of their shinobi. She swallows hard trying to push the thoughts out of her head. She can hear Sasori leaving and assumes that Itachi had probably followed him. She doesn't bother checking though. She sets the scrolls down to the side and pulls her legs up onto the couch and hugs her knees. Should she cooperate with the Akatsuki, that will make her nothing more than a rogue. She'll never be welcomed back to her village, even if she managed to prove her innocence.

Her hands grips her legs tightly as her shoulders begin to shake with the effort of repressing her tears. Her eyes squeeze together tighter. This wasn't how it was supposed to go! She was supposed to become a jounin! She was supposed to teach genin! She had so much she still wanted to do. She wanted to help her village not work to destroy it!

A hand brushes her shoulder so softly she's not sure she felt it. Her eyes snap open, and she looks up into red eyes. Her whole body stiffens.

"You have already been seen with Akatsuki members. Even if you don't wear our colors, you will never be welcomed home." She's not sure by she might have seen his eyes soften a little, but at a second glance his eyes are hard, cold and completely impassive. "He's a rogue as well. He has a high bounty on his head."

He turns away from her. It only takes a second to get to the door for him. He pauses for a moment.

"You are not going against your village."

She had to strain to hear the last part before he disappears completely.

* * *

Itachi stands outside the door for a moment. He felt the guilt well up. She had obvious love for her village. He had tried to spare her feelings by lying to her. She didn't have to know that she was going directly against her village. He releases a sigh and wanders down the hallway. He could see the chain reaction he had started. He had orders to force Deidara into the Akatsuki, who had in turned forced Ishiko to join as a subordinate.

For now at least. Kakuzu had shown the rare interest in her. It seems like she would save him money. Kisame seemed to like her as well. Deidara was obviously protective of her.

Itachi pauses and closes his eyes. What had Kisame said a few days ago?

_"She's a looker for her age. Weird with the bandages around her arm though. Probably hiding something there. A summoning tattoo, or a scar." Kisame gave a toothy grin. "She's Deidara's age. A little younger than you. Wouldn't it be fun to compete with the punk and take something away from him? Teach him a leasson. Really put him in his place." Kisame leans forward at this. "I think Deidara feels something for her don't you? I'm sure a little attention from you and she'd be all over you just like every other woman in the world."_

He could still hear Kisame's laughter ringing through his head. He opens his eyes revealing black as he continues on his way. He was not going to stoop to that level. He had other things to do than piss Deidara off with some childish game of emotions. He barely flinches as pain races through his body. He wouldn't have much more time to set things up.

He didn't have time to do this. He didn't have time to feel guilty over making Ishiko go against the Rock. He didn't have time to want to make someone's life better simply cause he didn't want her to go through want he did.

He had to focus on his plan. The plan already carefully laid out years ago. Everything was done for Sasuke. Everything always has been always will be.

* * *

Thank you for reading! (: I hope you enjoyed it!


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